Spaz Reviews: The Last Slayer - Nadia Lee

I'm reviewing The Last Slayer by Nadia Lee at Wicked Lil Pixie.

The Last Slayer is the first book in Nadia Lee's The Heartstone Trilogy. Ashera del Cid is a hunter, and is the best you can find in the universe when it comes to hunting demons and incubi. After she is forced to defend herself from a dragon in a case keeping some executives safe from Dragon Lords, she sets in motion a series of events that reveal her to be "The Last Slayer". The prophecy tells of her existence marking the downfall of the Dragon Lords and they of course want her dead. Enter Ramiel... the mysterious male who has made a habit of invading her dreams.

The best aspect of this book is the origin stories and lore. I love dragons so much and the world building is spectacularly vivid. Going back in to Ashera's past and learning about her birth parents was very interesting.  Ms. Lee developed a great hierarchy of demon classes and it was well done without being overly complicated. Continue Reading...

Spaz Reviews: If You See Her - Shiloh Walker

Publisher: Ballantine Books 

• Release Date: January 31, 2012
• Series: The Ash Trilogy (book 2)
• Genre: Romance Suspense
• Shiloh Walker's website

Purchase If You See Her at:

• Amazon
• Book Depository
• Barnes & Noble

A FACE IN THE MIRROR
Hope Carson may not look like a survivor, but she has escaped an abusive ex-husband and recovered from a vicious assault. Now she endures the painful memories and suspicious rumors surrounding her involvement in the attack. Her ex is a cop, so the last people she trusts are law enforcement officials—and she certainly doesn’t trust how the local DA makes her feel inside.
Remy Jennings should know better. He has no business falling for a woman who he suspects may have a deeply troubled mind. And even if he did make a move, she’d bolt like a frightened rabbit. But how can he deny a burning desire that threatens to consume him? As Hope’s past catches up with her in the worst way, Remy is determined to break through her defenses, earn her trust, and keep her safe in his arms—before it’s too late.

After reading the first book in Shiloh Walker's romantic suspense Ash Trilogy, If You Hear Her, I could not wait to get my hands on this one. If You See Her picks up right where the first book left off and there is a nasty killer still on the loose in the small town of Ash, Kentucky. We know all of the characters in play by now, while the romance arc is between Hope and Remy. As we get to enjoy the happily-ever-after play out, we are also watching the town from the killer's perspective. The whodunit aspect, which spans the trilogy, is so much fun!

One of the things that I love about this book, and the series overall, is the evolution of the friendships between all of the characters. The authenticity of the relationships created is profound, and I love the give and take among the full cast. They are all sensible, and actually talk to each other when they need to and don't unnecessarily withhold information from each other. Nobody suffers from dumb-itis, and the lack of forced angst is refreshing. This definitely affects the pace, and keeps it flowing at a nice fast speed.

I enjoyed watching Remy cherish and adore Hope. From the systematic mental and physical abuse she has suffered at the hands of her ex-husband, Hope is initially terrified of Remy. I don't mean just playing hard to get, she is sincerely terrified of him, and I believed it. Watching her come around to his endearingly charismatic pursuit is enjoyable and endearing. And Law. Love, love, love Law. We've spent the most time with him, since he's remained a solid figure in the first two books and he finally moves to center state in the finale book of the trilogy, If You Know Her. I can't flippin' wait for him to get some nookie! :P Oh yeah, and to find out WHO THE KILLER IS. I have no idea, peeps!

Grade: A. I totally spazzed when I finished this book.

Top 3 Most Anticipated UF Reads for February

Here are three of the next installments in some of my most favorite series!! Here are my Top 3 UF Picks. How about yours? What am I missing? Blurbs are provided by goodreads.

Fair Game (Alpha & Omega #3) - Patricia Briggs

They say opposites attract. And in the case of werewolves Anna Latham and Charles Cornick, they mate. The son-and enforcer-of the leader of the North American werewolves, Charles is a dominant alpha. While Anna, an omega, has the rare ability to calm others of her kind.

Now that the werewolves have revealed themselves to humans, they can't afford any bad publicity. Infractions that could have been overlooked in the past must now be punished, and the strain of doing his father's dirty work is taking a toll on Charles.

Nevertheless, Charles and Anna are sent to Boston, when the FBI requests the pack's help on a local serial killer case. They quickly realize that not only the last two victims were werewolves-all of them were. Someone is targeting their kind. And now Anna and Charles have put themselves right in the killer's sights...

A Sliver of Shadow (Abby Sinclair #2) - Allison Pang

Just when her new life as a TouchStone – a mortal bound to help OtherFolk cross between Faery and human worlds – seems to be settling down, Abby Sinclair is left in charge when the Protectorate, Moira, leaves for the Faery Court. And when the Protectorate’s away…let’s just say things spiral out of control when a spell on Abby backfires and the Faery Queen declares the Doors between their worlds officially closed.
The results are disastrous for both sides: OtherFolk trapped in the mortal world are beginning to fade, while Faerie is on the brink of war with the daemons of Hell. Along with her brooding eleven prince Talivar and sexy incubus Brystion, Abby ventures to the CrossRoads in an attempt to override the Queen’s magic. But nothing in this beautiful, dangerous realm will compare to the discoveries she’s making about her past, her destiny, and what she will sacrifice for those she loves.

By a Thread (Elemental Assassin #6) - Jennifer Estep

When killing people is your job, there’s no such thing as a vacation. Then again, how often does an assassin live long enough to enjoy her retirement? In this line of work, you either get lucky or you get dead. And since I destroyed my nemesis Mab Monroe a few weeks ago, all of Ashland’s lowlifes are gunning to make a name for themselves by taking out the lethal Spider—me, Gin Blanco. So I’m leaving behind my beloved barbecue joint and heading south with my baby sister, Bria, to cool my heels in a swanky beach town. Call it a weekend of fun in the sun. But when a powerful vampire with deadly elemental magic threatens an old friend of Bria’s, it looks like I’ll have to dig my silverstone knives out of my suitcase after all. Complicating matters further is the reappearance of Detective Donovan Caine, my old lover. But Donovan is the least of my problems. Because this time, the danger is hot on my trail, and not even my elemental Ice and Stone magic may be enough to save me from getting buried in the sand—permanently.

Spaz Reviews: The Shadow Reader - Sandy Williams

My latest review is up at Wicked Lil Pixie Reviews! 


I enjoyed The Shadow Reader, especially as the first book in a new series. McKenzie is a human lost in the world of fae politics and war due to her special shadow reading gift. And then there is the love triangle aspect of it between her Kyo and Aren, which I am not a huge fan of, but I do like the way it played out. I enjoyed the dialog between Aren and McKenzie greatly, especially his reactions to her constantly trying to escape, and her always ending up on the bad side of busted up. There is some fantastic tension, and awesome tenderness too. Continue reading... 

ARC Review THE KINGDOM by Amanda Stevens

Nat and me just got an e-ARC of the second book in Amanda Stevens' The Graveyard Queen series, THE KINGDOM, and could not wait to tell you about how much we love it!! We decided to tag-team review it. If you have not yet discovered this series, you must must must check it out. Start with THE RESTORER, out now!
I would dare say The Kingdom is damn near perfection. I was already eager to read it, but never in my wildest dreams did I anticipate such an amazingly intense and spooky ride. The imagery Amanda Stevens creates right from the first scene starts the incredibly haunting tone of the book, and it never lets up or runs out of steam - it just keeps plowing ahead. Her narration and descriptions are so colorful and vivid. The characters so deep and interesting, I became entranced, and like you Nat, I could not put it down. Holy crap on a cracker, I need the third book The Prophet right nowwww, thank the gods it's coming soon!  Continue Reading...

Kresley Cole LOTHAIRE Signing in Austin, TX

Yes, it happened. I got to meet Kresley Cole last night. I still can't believe it. How awesome was she? Just as awesome as you'd imagine. Don't hate!!

And you know what else? She brought along the cover model, Paul Marron, as "Lothaire". Think he looks familiar? He was also the cover model as Rehv for Lover Avenged, as well.

For a more detailed report, head on over to TX Book Junkie's post, she even has video!

New Cover LOVE! Blood Before Sunrise by Amanda Bonilla

Amanda Bonilla's cover for BLOOD BEFORE SUNRISE, out July 3rd, has been posted and it is making me ever MORE excited for the second Shaede Assassin novel (if that's possible!)

My Ten Favorite Songs of 2011

Wow. This post was so super hard to create. I kept creating it, then breaking it off in to another post trying to separate in to different genres. I stopped doing that, put everything back in to one post, and this is what I came up with. Even now I am hemming and hawing over my selections.
These are songs that came out this year, and I have played them over and over and over on iTunes over. They are listed in no particular order :)

M83 - Midnight City
This band came out of nowhere, am I right? I'm wrong! They've been around since 2001 but I certainly never heard of them before this single. This song caught me, and gripped me hard. Give it a chance, the 80s feel to it is so great.

Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers
I didn't love this album as much as LL's previous one, or as much as the remixes done of her songs. But this song stuck to me and I could not stop playing it! Hubs was like "not again!" every time he'd hear the beginning. I'll I'll follow, I'll follow you deep sea baby... oops sorry. Carry on.

Danger Mouse - Two Against One (Feat. Jack White)
Danger Mouse *swoon* love him. He is part of Broken Bells, and collaborates with a lot of artists, including Julian Casablancas (The Strokes) and Gnarls Barkley and Jay-Z and the list goes on and on and on. Here he is with Jack White from White Stripes.

Mr. Little Jeans - Suburbs
The 'Mr.' is actually a Norwegian singer named Monika Birkenes. This song made the XM rounds, and fans created videos for it. This is an AMAZING cover of Suburbs by Arcade Fire! I like this cover more than the Arcade Fire original, and this new official video really captures the melancholy of the song.

Best Coast - Our Deal
So one of my favorite songs by Best Coast came out last year, 'Boyfriend', but this one came out this year. This music video is directed by Drew Barrymore, and I kinda dig it. Modern take on West Side Story. You might recognize some of the young talent in it. Love this dang song!

 

Little Dragon - Shuffle a Dream 

Seriously, everyone, Little Dragon's 2011 album release 'Ritual Union' is one of the best albums out this year. I guarantee it!! Here is a live video really showcasing the Swedish-Japanese singer Yukimi Nagano.

Robyn - None of Dem (feat. Royksopp)
I really really didn't want to like this album, and I don't know why. Maybe because she's so dang weird looking? Anywho, since 1997 when she came out with 'Show Me Love', I've been unable to resist her. I like some of the other songs on the album, but this song is teh ish! Turn it up!

Lady GaGa - Heavy Metal Lover (fan made video)
Helllloooo, do you know me? OF COURSE Lady GaGa is on here! This song is my favorite off her 'Born This Way' album. Another album I played over, and over, and over again, particularly this song.

The Joy Formidable - A Heavy Abacus
This band came out of nowhere for me. They are a three-piece band from Wales, and the lady lead singer also plays the guitar. I love her so hard. This band JAMS the hell out!! I want to see them live. This song from the album particularly stuck with me and you know the rest.

Kelly Rowland - I'm Dat Chick

We all know Kelly is from Destiny's Child. She does dance music so I still follow her. When I heard this song, I played it over, and over, and over again. It gets me MOVING. I really wish she'd released it and made a video for it. The bass is awesome, which doesn't entirely get picked up in this fan-made video:

That's it! 

Thanks so much for joining me and my ten favorite songs of 2011. I hope you enjoyed this post! I had so much fun narrowing around thirty songs down to 10 honest ones I've listened to on repeat :)

Music that would be on here if they'd had 2011 releases? 

Neko Case, Beach House, & Broken Bells, dammit! Here's hoping for 2012!

Spaz Reviews: Shadow Heir - Richelle Mead

I'm at WLP reviewing Shadow Heir by Richelle Mead.
Dios mio! As the last book in Richelle Mead's Dark Swan series, I will tell you right now I expected more. Way more. Especially after the great steps back Eugenie made as a character and Queen in the previous book, Iron Crowned. But I hung on, I thought maybe this would just be a case of us needing to remember we can all take a few steps back, but still detour back on course. Sadly, my suspicions that this entire story was pulled out of WTF-ville by the seat of someone's pants became stronger and stronger as I progressed through the pages. It's not the writing that is bad, Richelle Mead has to-date been one of my top favorite authors with her Georgina Kincaid series. I just feel that Eugenie, Dorian, and hell even Kiyo (yes I am saying that) deserved more than wrapping the series up this way. Maybe my expectations were too high as a Eugenie fan to see her go away this way, and were unrealistic. Regardless, I am disappointed as a fan. Continue reading...