The Precious Quest by Cheryl R Cowtan
A couple of nice touches – the disclaimer is not the standard one, but adds to the atmosphere of the story. The tone seems medieval, with a few speech archaisms. I hope this is not a spoiler, but the heroine being a “mantie” or some sort of alien / otherworld creature adds interest to the tale. There is a nice sense of destiny and fate, which matches the genre.
The introduction of new characters and added backstory for old characters begins to twist the plot and add interest. The choice of mate is always interesting, especially when there are complications & race fertility issues to increase the stakes.
I thought the page count a bit short – the end is a cliff-hanger, designed to make one buy the next book in the series. The next book sounds good, but I am not a fan of the strategy.
I read an advance review copy.
The wedding by Sian Ceinwen
Good title (not original, but grabs the attention every time). Nice cover. Well written. It’s a drama about being rich and famous; if that is your fantasy. The villain position appears to be occupied by the media, which reminds me of the princess Diana story.
The subtitle says the book is steamy, so on downloading one knows there will be explicit sex scenes. The connection between the main characters seems primarily physical, and it is vulnerable to manipulation. They need to develop more of a heart and soul relationship. I was worried for a while there would not be a happy ending.
I read a review copy from Book Sirens.
Shadows in the Garden Hotel by Krista Walsh
First of all, I loved the cover. Secondly, the book was well written. Thirdly, from the first line, it was clear this was no cuddly, try not to actually hurt anyone, soap opera demoness. The protagonist was badass. But then the story became confusing, because she was in danger from something worse.
I liked the concept, and thought it was very clever, but the story could have used more atmosphere to transform it from regular thriller into true paranormal fantasy. The Dragur could also have been more developed as frightening monsters and given more motivation.
In the notes near the end, I read this comes from a series, and the author has had a go at giving one of her more challenging characters a tale. It might be worth checking her other books out.
My copy was an advance review.
Secret Courtship by Jaycee Jarvis
The story began well, with a little culture building. Then there was an explicit representation of pretty much meaningless sex. I know sex is supposed to sell – but to the majority of female readers – it is actually the dream of love that sells.
The book became much more interesting once the protagonists began to communicate. Even if they were fighting, or refusing to cooperate with the prophecy. Miscommunication can be entertaining, building up the tension. The author drew this out as long as they could.
Now the characters appear to be having difficult progressing from the physical into the emotional. If you like a lot of icky description – you will be happy. Luckily, for those who also like plot, there is a disease spreading around the city, and animals to be cured. The story really comes into its prime as these threads are explored.
I was attracted by the cover image and read a review copy.
The Fall of Arcades By Lori Hope
I liked the way the main female character, Rayelynn, was set up, and looked forward to reading about her negotiating a life for herself amongst all the abuse of her situation. However, she very soon met the fallen angel, Farrow, and the story took a very different direction.
At this point, I am enjoying the story, except for one thing. Two first person POVs don’t do it for me. I always think first person narrative smacks of laziness, and has to be done very well to work. But instead of building two definitive characters, it seems like the writer has used the same voice, TWICE.
The twin themes of love (actually lust in this context) and violence polarised the story. A crazy paranormal ride with plenty of melodrama, and a few twists. Writing needs subtlety to provide enduring appeal, but this achieves its aims of entertaining on first reading.
Book Sirens provided me with a review copy.
