Review: A Twist of Fae (Surfaeillance #1) by Rebekah Shafer

Published: October 21st 2014 by Lantern Leaf Press
Genre: Fantasy, Supernatural, Magic
Format: ebook
Source: provided for honest review

Goodreads Summary

“My crystal was vibrating harder than ever now. More fae were moving in. I glanced over my shoulder at the dark gardens. This can’t be good. The crystal was designed to register the presence of faery matter, besides serving as identification and other mundane uses, but after the years I’d spent wearing one around my neck, I was becoming more and more convinced it picked up on danger, too.”

In special agent Burgundy Graves’ opinion, desk work is for sissies. So what if Surfaeillance Agency exists to regulate faery activity on Earth? Tracking the monsters is a form of regulating. Give her a gun, a dangerous threat to hunt down, no questions asked, and she’s in.

But when Surfaeillance puts her in a team of wet-behind-the-ears investigators and tasks them with trailing a clueless millionaire, Burgundy begins to seriously consider pulling out—until the millionaire is murdered on her watch.

With the agency at risk, and shape-shifting ogres on the loose, Burgundy races to unmask her enemies before she becomes the next victim in this deadly, faery-tainted plot.

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"It's something other than flattering to be forgotten by so many fae, but I have a sneaking suspicion that they do it intentionally. Rather like forgetting that you have an uncle in the mafia. I don't see what their problem is. After all, the Earth-Faery relationship was their idea in the first place."

The Good

Special agent Burgundy Graves is one of my favorite types of heroes. She hates being out of the action and has an attitude that keep you entertained throughout the book. She also prefers to work alone as others just hold her back in her mind. She does end up with a couple of odd partners but odd is the only partner she would be able to work with efficiently. Plus, A Twist of Fae has plenty of supernaturals to keep her busy.

The Bad

I wish the book had been a tad longer. I felt like I got through it way too fast. I also would have liked more time in Fairyland. The little bit of time spent there in the book was more of a teaser than anything else.

The Romance

Burgundy didn't really have any time for romance in this book, but to be honest I was ok with that. Maybe in the next book.

Conclusion

A Twist of Fae was a fun read even if it did seem to be over before I was ready. The good news is there will be a second book and I'm looking forward to what trouble finds her next. And it does seem like she will spend a lot more time in fairyland with the next installment.

Excerpts

"You'll feel better when the adrenalin wears off," I said, glancing around at the few stunted trees. They looked like shadows in the dark. "If we get out of here, I'll buy you some ice cream." If there was one thing pixies had a weakness for, it was frozen dairy products.

Bentley has been described as many things during his employment, but the simplest way to imagine him is to pretend an anteater and a bat got married, and their child was turned into a dwarf by an irritable wizard. He stood there on his scrawny little legs, no taller than my knee, bristly brown arms folded, batwings crossed -- even his long nose looked like it had a kink in it.

A tall, dark, and handsome shadow loomed up beside me. "All quiet so far? Stewart Landis asked, leaning an elbow against the bar behind me.
Coworkers. I waved a hand at the crowded press of humanity. "Sickeningly so. I haven't been this keyed up since Fairy Invasion of '98, when a single fairy burst into the office and demanded a ransom of two donuts." I glanced at him to make sure the sarcasm wasn't being lost. "And I do believe I'm out of ginger ale. Again. Where were you?"

Buy A Twist of Fae by Rebekah Shafer Today at Amazon

Harry Potter Moment of the Week [50]

This is a meme hosted by Uncorked Thoughts.The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/ films/ J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! She is picking a topic within HP for us to focus on each week and then if anyone wants to take part feel free! All she asks is to link back to her blog :). There is now a full list of the topics to come here.

  Best Spot to Chill at Hogwarts

While I feel like I would be similar to Hermione in always running to the library, it doesn't really seem like a cozy place with Madam Pince shooting glances and worrying over the status of her books. As much as I love to read, I also enjoy spending time with those nearest and dearest to me. I feel like the Quidditch pitch would be nice for when you want to let loose, and let's face it if I was allowed to fly, I would be doing it often. Flying is not really 'chilling' though, so I would pick the Gryffindor Common Room for those nice, relaxing hang out sessions.

It's described as being circular with a bunch of squashy chairs to relax in along with a huge window to look out over the grounds. Plus, who could forget the large fireplace that Sirius used to contact Harry? It just has all the makings of cozy. I would absolutely love chilling there with the besties.

What would be your favorite spot to chill at Hogwarts?

Review: Shattered (Logan Book 1) by Valerie Davisson

Publisher: March 3, 2014, Hauser Publishing
Genre: Horror
Format: ebook
Source: Gifted by author for honest review

Goodreads Summary:

Meet Logan McKenna … fiercely loyal, and impossibly inquisitive.

In SHATTERED, the first book in the original mystery series and stunning fiction debut with which Valerie Davisson lets us crave for more, Logan McKenna loses her husband, her illusions, the company they built together, her music, and now, probably her job. But that won’t stop her from digging into a murder investigation that keeps Southern California’s tight-knit artist community on its toes and law enforcement cluelessly guessing.
At loose ends, and running out of money after buying a fixer upper on the coast, she decides to help out her best friend from high school, Thomas, a Native American artist, and his wife Lisa at their booth at the Otter Arts Festival, in the idyllic coastal town of Jasper, where she and her police-officer brother Rick grew up. When one of the talented, young artists is found gruesomely murdered at the festival, Logan is faced with the reality that her best friend not only lied to her, but may be guilty of murder. It’s up to her to find out what really happened that night, before the murderer kills again.

If you enjoy reading Nevada Barr’s Anna Pigeon, James Patterson's Murder Club, J. A. Jance’s Joanna Brady or more general: mystery novel with a strong female character, you will quickly fall in love with Valerie Davisson’s Logan McKenna - guaranteed!

Shattered is the story of Logan McKenna. After a tragic car accident that killed her husband and turned her life upside down, she is trying to restart her life. Her new life has several bumps in the road. Once she thinks things are starting to come together, one of her best friends is accused of murder. Everything, all evidence, points to him. She is on a mission to clear her friend's name and find real justice for the victim.

River Otter Festivals Who Knew They Were Fun

This is the debut book of the Logan McKenna story.   I must say overall, I really enjoyed it.  It could be a very promising series.   It is full of fun, interesting, different, and entertaining characters.  The supportive cast in this book is dynamic.  The book did have a slower pace; however, it was a good, interesting slow.   I love a good murder mystery.  I didn't guess the murderer in Shattered which is always refreshing.   Out of all the characters though, I think Iona (who was a fairly minor character) was my favorite.   I like the spitfire, no-nonsense attitude.  Tave’a the café owner is a pretty amazing mysterious character to me also, and she made me wish I had a cinnamon roll.  I would work out and read about her delicious baked treats.  My tummy would tell me I worked out...let’s eat sweets!!!  I would love to see more of them and see their characters expanded in future books.

That Moment When the Thrill is Gone  

When I started reading the book, I was really excited.  It started with lots of promise and I was so engrossed in what was going to unfold.  However, it fell kind of flat.   The editing ruined the flow of things.   I liked Logan, but I do hope that her character grows stronger in the following books.  In Shattered, I am not sure if she was a strong enough lead.  Being a first book in a series though, that may not be a fair judgment since this may be on purpose to show her beginnings into a stronger character.   However, in many scenes and chapters I was more captivated by the supporting characters.   The storyline was solid but it had a rushed feel and it felt like some of it was just blown through.   I had a hard time caring about a lot of it.   Some of that could have been the editing though.

All’s Well That Ends Well

All in all, it’s a decent read and could turn out to be a very interesting series.   The killer is not easy to spot, and Logan stays hot on the trail of the murderer.  There is good and bad in the book, but as the first book it has a lot of potential to be a very good series.   I would love to see more depth and growth in all the characters.  Shattered was easy to read and did have you wondering how it was going to unfold.   This book made me realize anyone can be crazy :)

Sunday Cover Scramble [103]

Let's have some fun! I am going to post covers on here every Sunday that are scrambled up graphically, making it hard to tell what cover it is. I would like your guesses on what cover you think I've posted. I won't answer you until I'm posting the next one to let you know if you are right, allowing others to guess as well. Some will be hard, and others may be easy. Let me know in the comments if you'd like some more hints and I'll offer some more if no one guesses it correctly.


I am pulling covers off the Most Popular Page on Goodreads.

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Harry Potter Moment of the Week [49]

This is a meme hosted by Uncorked Thoughts.The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/ films/ J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! She is picking a topic within HP for us to focus on each week and then if anyone wants to take part feel free! All she asks is to link back to her blog :). There is now a full list of the topics to come here.

 Scariest Moment in the Series

The scariest moment for me would be when Harry was in the cave with Dumbledore. You could tell the whole time going out there that Dumbledore was scared and whatever scared him, scares me.

The whole build-up to the moment of Dumbledore suffering from the Drink of Despair was chilling, but when Harry puts that Goblet in the lake and the Inferius rise to action, things got intense. Here he was, terrified that Dumbledore was dying, already broken down, when these re-animated dead bodies start rising out of the lake. They very nearly drag Harry down, drowning him. Thankfully, Dumbledore got a surge of energy enough to catch the whole lot of them on fire, or they both would've been goners.

What was the scariest moment in the series in your opinion?

Cover Reveal: Desolate Mantle (Street Games #2) by L.K. Hill

In the most dangerous city in the country, one controlled by the sadistic Sons of Ares gang, Kyra Roberts recently crossed paths with detective Gabe Nichols. She dismissed any liaison with him as impossible, but telling him the truth may prove inevitable...

Walking the Slip Mire nightly, dressed in her disguise and trying to infiltrate a homicidal gang, Kyra sees plenty of things she can’t explain. When she begins to suspect a serial killer might be at work, she decides to approach Gabe again.

Gabe has plenty to keep him busy: a bizarre missing persons case, a new development in his brother’s cold case, a new neighbor, and the grisly murders that are a nightly ritual in the Slip Mire. When Kyra shows up unexpectedly, he jumps at the chance keep her around, but it’s harder than he bargained for. She’s not an average source any more than she’s an average Mireling.

Their partnership crumbles, but when things become even darker than usual in the Slip Mire, they’ll need one another get survive a hellish situation. If they can’t work together to shoulder their burdens, they’ll find themselves utterly alone. In Abstreuse, it’s not a matter of not coming out of the darkness, but of being absorbed by the darkness itself…

Cover courtesy of the the great Kelean Patrick Burke

(Check out book 1, Dark Remnants HERE)

Author Liesel Hill

L.K. Hill is a novelist who writes across three genres. Her crime and historical fiction are written under her initials, L.K., while her scifi/fantasy and dystopian are written under her full name, Liesel K. Hill. She lives in northern Utah and comes from a large, tight-knit family. She plans to keep writing until they nail her coffin shut. Or the Second Coming happens. You know, whichever happens first. ;D

Facebook * Twitter * Musings on Fantasia * L.K. Hill

ARC Review: Strange Magic (The Magic Series #1) by James A. Hunter

Published: January 16th 2015
Genre: paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Format: ebook
Source: provided for honest review 

Goodreads Summary

Yancy Lazarus is having a bad day: there’s a bullet lodged in his butt cheek, his face looks like the site of a demolition derby, and he’s been saran-wrapped to a banquet table. He never should have answered the phone. Stupid bleeding heart—helping others in his circles is a good way to get dead.

Just ask the gang members ripped to pieces by some kind of demonic nightmare in LA. As a favor to a friend, Yancy agrees to take a little looksee into the massacre and boom, he’s stuck in a turf war between two rival gangs, which both think he’s pinch-hitting for the other side. Oh, and there’s also a secretive ass-hat with some mean ol’ magical chops and a small army of hyena-faced, body- snatching baddies. It might be time to seriously reconsider some of his life choices.

Yancy is a bluesman, a rambler, a gambler, but not much more. Sure, he can do a little magic—maybe even more than just a little magic—but he knows enough to keep his head down and stay clear of freaky-deaky hoodoo like this business in LA. Somehow though, he’s been set up to take a real bad fall—the kind of very permanent fall that leaves a guy with a toe tag. Unless, of course, he can find out who is responsible for the gangland murders, make peace in the midst of the gang feud, and take out said magical ass-hat before he hexes Yancy into an early retirement. Easy right? Stupid. Bleeding. Heart.

Buy Strange Magic by James A Hunter Today at Amazon

I looked around at the crowded bar, Surveying the rough splattering of men and women who would be injured, maybe killed, if I let something go down in here. That wasn't something I wanted. I'm not a perfect human -- I drink, smoke, and gamble in amounts a few might consider excessive. I may not be the most positive role model for your kids, but I don't like folks getting hurt either.

The Good

Yancy Lazarus is my type of protagonist, he fights for what he considers to be right but he doesn't do it in a lawful good type of way. He uses magic, which I really enjoyed how magic worked in this book and he has a magically enhance handgun that takes no prisoners. I loved that the creatures he fought were new for me and not the same old supernatural monster you normally read about. I also love the way Hunter sets the world up in a way for more books involving more interesting creatures while still referencing familiar ones. I really like that dimension travel is an option in this series.

The Bad

I would have liked to know more about his family. He left them when he got his powers thinking it would be safer for them but all I can think about is are his powers genetic? Do any of his kids or even grand kids have his gifts? And if so, maybe he should be trying to teach them instead of just taking a powder.

The Romance

No real romance though he does mention a family he had to leave behind. Could make for a interesting prequel.

Conclusion

I really enjoyed Strange Magic overall. It's full of action, has plenty of new monster/demons to be introduced to and the universe it takes place in seems to have tons of potential. I love the Hub and the Bar being run by a Red Dragon. I read it in one afternoon as I couldn't put it down. Definitely recommend this one.

Excerpts

Also, this is not the first time someone has tried to shoot me in the head. Surprising, I know, considering my overwhelming tack and agreeable personality.


Not only was my assailant almost physically unstoppable, supernaturally resistant to the Vis, and military trained -- It was an honest-to-goodness ninja. A Ninja. In what world is that fair or okay? If you ever have to say that you've been assaulted by a supernatural, man-eating, hyena-ninja, it is a sure sign that your life has gone terribly, terribly wrong somewhere.


"Am I inconveniencing you Greg? Let me tell you about inconvenience. Inconvenient is getting a call from an old friend which results in driving halfway across the country.  Inconvenient is getting sucker-punched by a supernatural assassin, being pumped full of horse tranquilizers, Saran-wrapped to a table by an insane gang of bikers, and then fighting a friggin' demon. Oh, and inconvenient is getting shot in the ass. I got shot in the ass, Greg. Bullet.  Ass. So I am so sorry if I’m 'inconveniencing' you."


Generally though, for most things -- leprechauns, low fae, or other dark denizens -- the hub is the revolving door in and out. One big bus station. Like any bus station, you might well get rolled if you fall asleep there and it smells a little like urine.

Buy Strange Magic by James A Hunter Today at Amazon