Review: Heat

Read if you like: huge, sweeping fantasy stories with romance subplots, dragons, and wars between supernatural characters.

Heat | Donna Grant

Series: Dark Kings

Genre: Adult Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Released: January 30th 2018
Pages: 336
Format: Ebook
Source: Publisher

Nikolai is a dragon shapeshifter who knows well the meaning of loss. Orphaned and raised to be a Dragon King, he never accepts defeat. Now, Nikolai prefers his solitude . . .until a beautiful, irresistible woman calls upon him for help—and Nikola’s whole word goes up in flames.

Ever since MI5 agent Esther woke to discover her mind taken over with magic, she feels like stranger to herself. She looks to a notorious dragon, one who has the power to help her find her memory. But as she and Nikolai come closer to discovering what really happened to her, a dangerous passion ignites between them. Can this lone Dragon King help the woman he’s grown to love to uncover the truth about her past—or will a deep and fiery danger tear them both apart?

I'm a bit miffed that the blurb on Netgalley didn't make it clear this isn't the first in series, or able to be read alone. This is the second time I've come across this problem in the romance genre. I should learn to check on Goodreads if they're like book one, not twelve.

This isn't bad but I'm not sure I'll remember it. I didn't mind the central romance, but all the other characters just overwhelmed me. I got there was a war going on but all I wanted to know about was Nikolai and Esther. One thing that did seriously impress me was the fact that Nikolai's voice had a Scottish dialect and I ACTUALLY QUITE LIKED IT? I've lost track of the number of books I've DNF'd because of the horrific word choice and voice that knocks me out of the story but this was written really well.

Maybe a better book for someone else, although there's plenty to like here if you're into huge, sweeping plots in your romance.

2 stars

Review: Smoke on The Water

Sisters of The Craft: Smoke on The Water | Lori Handeland

Published by: St. Martin's Paperbacks, August 4th 2015

Genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy, Magic, Witches

Pages: 352

Format: Ebook

Source: St. Martin's, via Netgalley

Abandoned beneath a black willow tree on the banks of a northern Wisconsin creek, Willow Black spent her entire childhood in foster care. Her entire life she's had terrifying visions, and it is these visions that eventually land her in a psychiatric facility. And so Willow takes her meds and believes she is getting better. Until she meets a fellow patient who doesn't think she is crazy at all. She thinks Willow is a witch. 

Willow's psychiatrist, Dr. Sebastian Crane, works hard to resist his feeling that he and Willow are destined to be together while also working to convince her that strange occurrences aren't the result of witchcraft… until he is thrown into the middle of a storm of supernatural events that can't be explained any other way…

Okay, off the bat, these books are really great for the witchy stuff. It's good old fashioned elemental witchcraft and I really enjoy it. The historical bits stretch believe-ability but it's easy to move past.

NOW, here's what really frustrated me with this book and the finale of the series, in Goodreads updates:

Saruuh Kelsey is 59% done

Oh my god why is everyone engaged? That is NOT the natural state of a few-months-old relationship o.O For two sisters to be engaged to their LIs??? Come ON. Does that mean Sister #3 will be engaged by the end of this book????

Saruuh Kelsey is 80% done

Heeyyyyyyy just throwing this wild idea out there but what if we had someone who saw the future AND was mentally ill, and finding out she's a seer didn't Suddenly Miraculously Cure her of her illness????? How Super Neat would that be??????? I'm fed up with this seer-in-psych-ward trope. Kill it.

Saruuh Kelsey is 96% done

Ugghhhhhhhh why is every woman's happy ending pregnancy/marriage????

Saruuh Kelsey is 98% done

Oh my GOD, of course the third sister is getting married too. How else could this love story play out....???

I've pretty much said everything I want to about the mental illness trope in my passive aggression. I hate it with a fiery passion. But the sister's stories ending in engagement, marriage, and pregnancy has got my blood boiling. The pregnancy was used as a plot device so I can sort of forgive that. But why does every sister, after knowing their love interests for bare months (sure, Becca knew Owen long before but she hadn't known him FOR TEN YEARS) get engaged???? I know this is romance, but relationships do not work that way. That's how divorce happens. 

And by having every woman's story end in engagement, and having the series end in marriage, it suggests that this is the highest thing a woman can aspire to being. A wife. A mother. And both of those things are really great, and important to women, but I would have enjoyed these endings much, much more if only one of them got engaged. I mean, what are the chances three sisters would get engaged within the same period?? Sure it's fate and magic or whatever, but it's unrealistic and frustrating. And it says that Every Woman's Story should end this way. I'd have been so happy to see the sisters continuing their magic education, for that to be their promise of the future, or for Willow to be recovering from being institutionalised, instead of marriage and motherhood for EVERY SINGLE SISTER.

Okay, rant over.

These books are good urban fantasy. I'm just mad about the message the end sends. Although, I did actually enjoy this book the least. It was a little slow and drawn out until halfway. But hey, a satisfying culmination of the witchcraft and Venatores Mali.

Characters ★★★☆

Setting/world ★★★☆☆

Writing ★★★☆☆

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Review: Heat of The Moment

Sisters of The Craft: Heat of The Moment | Lori Handeland

Published by: St. Martin's Paperbacks, June 30th 2015

Genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy, Magic, Witches

Pages: 352

Format: Ebook

Source: St. Martin's, via Netgalley

A spell that tore three sisters apart is broken four hundred years later, when the magic in their blood reunites them. Now, one of them will discover her gift—and reignite a love long thought lost…
Flame-haired Becca Carstairs was born to be a veterinarian. Since childhood, her affinity for animals has been special, and her healing touch nothing short of magic. But only Becca knows the truth—that she alone can hear the creatures’ voices. She’s always trusted her sixth sense… until a string of missing pets, an attempted murder, and a face from her past converge into one explosive mystery, with her at its center.

Is haunted Owen McAllister, the boy who broke her heart ten years ago, related to the sinister crimes that have peaceful Three Harbors, Wisconsin, on its guard? Or is his reappearance part of the answer to questions that have troubled her all her life? As Becca delves into her strange heritage, she’ll have to fight for her life… and the man she will always love.

Just as full of danger, intrigue, and magic as the first book.

I really liked Bobby Doucet, but I LOVED Owen. I don't know what it was about him but I really clicked with him. What I liked was that he was disabled. What I didn't like was how he was healed at the end and that was his happy ending. But I did like Becca, the main character, and their relationship with each other. This book also features some pretty great parents. Way to go, Heat of The Moment.

Becca's communicating with animals was a nice difference to other books I've read, and I loved how obvious her healing magic was once I got to the end. Very cleverly snuck in through the whole book. 

I do have some gripes. The historical Scotland bits are SO out of place it's jarring. And why does every female in this series need a male hero to come and save her? I get that Becca did save herself in a way, but it still ticked me off. There was also a comment about a farmer having only daughters, no sons, so there's no way his farm could continue and that really riled me up. FEMALE FARMERS EXIST!

But hey, apart from the slights to my feminist sensibilities, this book is fun, and fast paced, and the romance is very nice. I'm looking forward to the next book.

Characters ★★★★☆

Setting/world ★★★☆☆

Writing ★★★☆☆

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In The Air Tonight (ARC Review)

Sisters of The Craft: In The Air Tonight | Lori Handeland

Published by: St Martin's Paperbacks, June 2nd 2015

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

Pages: 352

Format: Ebook

Source: St Martin's Press, via Netgalley

Four centuries ago, in a small Scottish village, three baby girls escaped the wrath of a witch hunter. Today, one young woman will learn about her secret history, her heart's destiny, and the sisters she never knew she had...

With her blue-black hair and dark eyes, Raye Larsen has never fit in with the Scandinavian community of New Bergin, Wisconsin. Being adopted is part of the reason she feels like an outsider, but what really sets Raye apart is her ability to see dead people. Everywhere. 

She’s learned to keep her visions to herself . . . until she stumbles onto the ghost of a murder victim who needs Raye’s help. Enter Bobby Doucet, a distractingly handsome homicide detective who has been tracking a killer all the way from New Orleans. Could this be the break in his case he’s been looking for all along? 

Meanwhile, the deeper Raye gets involved with the case—and with Bobby—the closer she comes to unlocking the mystery of her own origins. What she discovers about herself could destroy everything she knows . . . and everyone she loves. Is finding the truth worth the risk?

Filled with dark magic, dazzling romance, and dire suspense, this is the first book in a thrilling new series by New York Times bestselling author Lori Handeland.

It took me absolutely ages to get into this book. There's a disconnect with the POVS, one of which is first person and the other is third, and the book is peppered with references to things I just do not know. They're definitely regional, and because of this cultural difference it took damn forever to get used to the writing style. But by around 30% these dropped off and the gem of a story started to show. And I really, really liked it.

The main character, Raye, is a witch who sees ghosts. Except she doesn't realise she's a witch, ad she pretends she doesn't see the ghosts so people won't think she's crazy. Bobby, the other MC, is a cop investigating a serial killer who just rolled up to Raye's town and killed a woman. The serial killer turns out to be a witch hunter, and is after Raye because she can see ghosts. It's a pretty complex plot, and there's a lot to it, but it's great. It's not a plot-heavy book, though - it's very set in the real world and relationships (even if some of those relationships are with ghosts) so at some points I did skim some pages. 

There's a couple obligatory (and unnecessary imo) sex scenes but they don't delay the story too badly, and they do link into the character's growth. It turns out this book is a lot more paranormal romance than urban fantasy, but I still enjoyed a lot of it. My only issue is how Raye and Bobby went from sex to marriage in a matter of weeks. That seems ridiculously unrealistic to me - why would you jump into marrying someone when you don't 100% know them yet? Date first, kids. You'll find out all their problems before you're bound to them by law.

It's a much better book than the beginning set me up for. I did wish for more ghosts and supernatural stuff at parts, but the bits we did get were amazing and make me want more. The cult conspiracy thing is awesome and definitely interested me, and I liked this story enough to want to read the next one right away. I'd definitely recommend it for urban fantasy and paranormal romance fans.

Characters ★★★☆☆

Setting/world-building ★★★★☆

Writing ★★★☆☆

This book is very close between 3 and 3.5 for me. So technically, it's a 3.25 star!