Review: Rules Of Prey (Lucas Davenport, #1) by John Sandford

Rules Of Prey by John Sandford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Having just finished reading Gathering Prey, the #25 book in John Sandford’s brilliant Prey Series, I decided to go back memory lane and read the 1st book, Rules of Prey, where we were first introduced to Minneapolis nonconformist police officer, wealthy video games creator, great dresser and ladies man, Lucas Davenport,

He was slender and dark-complexioned, with straight black hair going gray at the temples and a long nose over a crooked smile. One of his central upper incisors had been chipped and he never had it capped. He might have been an Indian except for his blue eyes.
His eyes were warm and forgiving.
Though his eyes were warm, his smile betrayed him.
If the chill of his smile sometimes overwhelmed the warmth of his eyes, it didn't happen so frequently as to become a social handicap.

Rules of Prey is fast paced, gritty, dark and electrifying thriller of a cat-and-mouse game between not your average cop and a deranged and organized serial killer.

So he was mad.
But not quite the way the police thought.

The maddog waited in the dark.
The maddog was intelligent. He was a member of the bar. He derived rules.

Never kill anyone you know.
Never have a motive.
Never follow a discernible pattern.
Never carry a weapon after it has been used.
Isolate yourself from random discovery.
Beware of leaving physical evidence.

Lieutenant Lucas Davenport will have to use more than the laid down rules and use some unorthodox methods of his own if he’s ever going to stop the psychotic killer down.

The character development is extremely well done. The story is told in third person, enabling you to get into the minds of both cop and killer.

Fantastic dialogue and description of the settings in the story.

From the very first page, you are pulled into the chase until the very end.

I liked reading this book again…and just as I remembered….still as good as ever.

One of my favorite scenes:

When Clapton started on “Lay Down, Sally” he got up and did a neatly coordinated solo dance around the chair. Then he sat down, worked for fifteen seconds, and was back up with “Willie and the Hand Jive.” He danced in the dark room by himself, watching the song time counting down on the digital CD clock. When “Hand Jive” ended, he sat down again…”

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Review: Gathering Prey (The Prey Series) by John Sandford

Gathering Prey by John Sandford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What is the secret to keeping a long-running series successfully going for 25 books? Some of the challenges facing any author are keeping a character fresh and interesting and continuously having to come up with new, inventive and great story ideas.

John Sandford has certainly met these challenges in Gathering Prey, the #25 installment in his superb The Prey Series.

If you are a fan of this series like I am, you will not be disappointed in the latest story of the Lucas Davenport that we have seen grow and evolve both personally and professionally and come to know over a long period of time.

Lucas Davenport, Chief Investigator for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is working on a case when his adopted daughter, Letty asks him to help Skye, a Traveler, she had met a while back in San Francisco, with the disappearance of her Traveler companion. Skye also tells the story of a fellow Traveler named Pilate, who is the leader of a Charles Mason like group that is killing and torturing other Traveler members.
Lucas agrees to help look into these allegations and soon, together with Letty, becomes involved with solving the number of murders and disappearances of members of the Traveler groups.

The action never loses steam and Lucas travels to the Upper Peninsula, working with the small towns law enforcement to find and capture the ruthless killers.

Some of my thoughts:

The first chapter, where Letty meets Skye and her travelling companion in San Francisco and the interaction between the three was a bit weird. Would I feed two people singing for money and had never met before? Maybe, probably. Would I give them my telephone number? If I say no, you would probably say….why not??? Is it because they’re homeless…shame on you!!! No, that wasn’t it!! It was the fact that the whole interlude did not feel real or true to me….but one could say…look, Letty did that out of kindness to someone who has less than her! Okay, maybe!

The vivid depiction of the landscape absolutely stunning – the remoteness, the small and isolated small towns in the UP…..……

not knowing what the UP was…….looked it up, via Google naturally, and discovered it was Upper Peninsula….well, I learnt something new…

The characters in the story are described in a way that they feel real and are what one would expect of people to act and talk in that world.
I found the Juggalos part of the plot totally fascinating. At first, I thought that the whole thing was created in the author’s head……but no, these characters actually exist….

I had never ever of this sub-culture before…and yes, I did go and google it as well…..and how interesting was that…..

Sandford noted to blackfive.net,“The Juggalos are fans and followers of the group, “Insane Clown Posse.” They “travel” to see this group perform. They look like street people, but have bike packs, staffs, hiking boots, and a lot of the women have dogs. For awhile the FBI had them classified as a gang, but there is a lawsuit filed to declassify them. I guess the best description is for them to be considered a modern day hobo. They are not homeless and just “travel” around because they like it. The Juggalo subculture is split between violent and nonviolent factions. Some of the more violent ones have committed acts against the non-criminal ones.

I liked the relationship and interaction between Lucas and Letty.

Fast paced, suspense, humor, fantastic dialogue, realistic characters, dramatic landscapes, and some graphic violence make this a pretty good, no great read.

And one of my favorite quotes is from Weather, Luca’s wife saying to him as he’s about to leave home to go out and catch some more bad guys……

“Don’t get shot; it’d be really inconvenient for everybody.”

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Review: Crosstown Crush (Sins in the City, #1) by Cara McKenna (Goodreads Author)

Crosstown Crush by Cara McKenna
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I became a huge fan of Cara McKenna from the time I discovered her with her Shivaree Series, which I absolutely loved and my fandom jumped ever higher when I read the Desert Dogs Series. So it goes without saying that if I see a book by this author and if I read glorious reviews on that book – I am going to get it right then!!!

Ooh….for me, Crushtown Crush, the 1st in her new series, Sins in the City….just did not do it for me!!!

I really wanted to like it but I guess this was one of those books that was not meant for me!!!

I didn’t like the three main characters…..I found nothing in them that was anything endearing. Sam was so irritating, Mike..meh…Bern…what the hell was he doing with these two twits!!!!

Plot….really, was there one?? How did I miss it? No, I didn’t miss it…because there was no plot!

However, what there was a lot…and I mean a lot of pages of sex…more sex….and more sex!! Now, I do like sex parts in books but the three…Sam, Mike & Bern together did not sizzle gloriously!!!!

Boy, did I struggle to get to the last page!!! I have to give myself a medal for actually getting there..after the various times I was about to give up!!!!

I am sure that a lot of readers and lovers of this author’s work will enjoy it….just didn’t get to me like her other books did.

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Review: Memory Man by David Baldacci (Goodreads Author)

Memory Man by David Baldacci
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Whew…this was pretty intense!!

Memory Man is the 1st book in David Baldacci’s new thriller series and introduces one of the most offbeat characters, Amos Decker, whose injuries suffered in a football game ended not only his career but also resulted in him developing hyperthymesia and synesthesia disorders, which gives him the ability to see time as pictures, able to count in colors and to forget nothing in his head.

Coping with these abilities as best he can, his life is shattered when his wife and young child are brutally murded for no apparent reason. Unable to deal with his grief and desolation, he resigns from the police force, living in the streets and barely making a living as a private PI, not caring about his appearance…grossly-overweight, disheveled, lonely and heartbroken, living day by day.

When a man confesses to the murder of his family, Amos Decker is determined to get involved. Within a few days following the confession, a mass shooting and massacre at the local high school that he had been one of the students, he’s asked to help in the investigation by his former partner, Detective Mary Lancaster, who is in charge of both investigations. An unexpected breakthrough links both of the killings of his family and the school.

The information of Amos side-effects from his injuries, which I had never heard about, made some interesting reading. How he processed his thoughts and findings in his head was riveting stuff. Although there was a lot of repetition about it which I skimmed over a few times. Pretty scary when we watch how Amos deals with everyday things in his life…he almost lives in a world of his own! One minute he and Mary are discussing something and he stops and walks away without saying a word to her.

The story moves pretty fast, from one place to another, finding people connected to Amos’s life…because we soon find out that both the crimes have something to do with him. I also found some parts of the plots and some of the characters, especially who the villains turn out to be, a bit far-fetched and tad unbelievable.

I enjoyed this book but I felt it was a bit too long. And I am certainly going to read the next in the series.

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Review: Consumed (Deep in Your Veins, #4) by Suzanne Wright (Goodreads Author)

Consumed by Suzanne Wright
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Consumed is the 4th book in Suzanne Wright’s Deep In Your Veins Series about a community of vampires living on a secret island somewhere in the Caribbean, known as The Hollow.

Led by The Grand High Pair, Jared Michaels and his mate, Sam Parker, the group is dedicated to protect any of their kind from their enemies.

This was a fun and utterly fabulous read. I am totally crazy about the characters in the world that the author has created. They are so refreshing from the usual dark and serious vampires we read about. Funny, quirky and relatable and somehow real jumping off the pages!!!

This story focuses on Salem McCauley and Ava Sanchez, both members of the fighter squads, which are trained by Sam and Jared. These were such cute and endearing characters.

Ava – a shot-in-the-arm of happy and cuteness!!! Bubbly …..Incredibly endearing!

“Relationships never worked well for me. Guys liked me well enough until they realized just how quirky I really was. The cheeriness, the humming, the giggling, the optimism, and the ‘being a morning person’ thing – or ‘dusk person’, in my case – would begin to wear on them.

This was what she believed of herself….but me….I would love to have someone like her as a friend!! She has the upbeatness about her that radiates to everyone around her….and she loves Hello Kitty….how could I not fall in love with her, never mind Salem!!!!

She would brighten up anyone’s day!!! Okay, she’s sweet and cheery…but she’s also kick-ass and snarky and smart and takes no shit from anyone…

So, this is the reason she wants nothing to do with Salem, despite being deeply attracted to him. He has decided that the time has come for him to claim Ava, the first woman that he has felt such an attraction for in a very long time.

But Ava is not convinced about Salem….he’s possessive and controlling and he’s going to do what every other man has done to her. He wants her. She tells him she’s only into casual flings…he persists..The chase is on…

A lot happens in this book. The main plot is about the discovery that someone thought to be a vampire is setting up brothels and kidnapping vampires and demons to use as sex slaves. Sam and Jared work on a plan together with their squads to rescuing the sex prisoners and destroying the brothels and the persons responsible.

Characters from previous books make an appearance and we also meet new characters…Salem’s Sire, Will – a totally repulsive and horrible character, his mate, a total idiotic bimbetto and Will’s daughter, Gina – a bitch beyond description. Manipulative, ghastly and determined to cause problems between Ava and Salem. Priceless how Ava handled that bitch….

The camaraderie and closeness between Ava and her fellow squad members was pretty awesome…and the entertaining scenes of Sam training her squad of fighters!!!!

And Ava moving in with Salem….he’s never going to be the same again…..did he actually agree she could move all her own stuff to his and now their pad???? Yes, you did!!!!Don’t worry, she’s going to brighten up your life…I promise!!!

Another thing that makes this series such a fun and enjoyable read, is the author’s writing. Being an English author, the prose is witty, humorous and filled with a load of laugh out loud moments. It’s light and upbeat and certainly lifts you up into a cloud of delight.

I am so looking forward to the next book!!!

One of the many favorite quotes:

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Review: Eternity Embraced (Demonica, #3.5) by Larissa Ione (Goodreads Author)

Eternity Embraced by Larissa Ione
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was one that I hadn’t read in Larissa Ione’s fantastic Demonica Series and to be honest I don’t think I got anything amazing out of this very very short novella….44 pages!!! Really!!! I am so not a fan of short stories/novellas…most of them feel like …..shall we make a wee bit more cash out of our fans!!!! What exactly do we get out of these pages that are an important addition to the series???

Allright, so we now know how Kade Quinn, vampire slayer, is turned into one himself and how the woman he loves, Andrea Cole, vampire slayer as well, will deal with his new “status”.

We don’t get enough about these two characters to be able to truly engage with them. Their story was far too short for that.

It was a nice enough in-between in the series and I did like the little snippet of Tayla Mancuso and Eidolon, who I adored in the 1st book of this series, Pleasure Unbound….https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

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Review: Aim to Kill by Allison Brennan (Goodreads Author)

Aim to Kill by Allison Brennan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book Synopsis

When disgraced former cop Alexandra Morgan is shot saving the life of California’s Lieutenant Governor, she doesn’t expect to be caught in the middle of a deadly conspiracy, an FBI sting, an old rivalry … and cold-blooded murder.

When the shooter gets away after Alex pursues him, she gives her statement to the police, but is skeptical that LG Travis Hart was the actual target. The lead detective—Alex’s ex-boyfriend—doesn’t buy her theory, but is willing to look into it. That satisfies her until District Attorney Matt Elliott shows up at her house and asks Alex to once again go undercover to stop a growing criminal enterprise that he claims is funding Hart’s campaign for Governor.

Alex is no stranger to working undercover—she’d been undercover for the FBI when her partner shot and nearly killed her eight months ago. To protect the investigation and the FBI’s informants, she left the force under a cloud of distrust and suspicion. But this time, she’s going in without back-up and without a badge. And this time, the shooter will aim to kill …

Allison Brennan is one author who is skillful at creating stories that keep a really good balance between romance and suspense and her latest book, Aim to Kill is just that kind of story.

This book can be read as a stand alone although there are a lot of characters that appeared in previous books that you will recognize. Detective Selena Black, FBI agent Dean Hooper and even the main character, Sacramento County District Attorney Matt Elliott. This one of the things I enjoyed in this story.

This is a good, taut and fast paced story with twists and turns that slowly unfold, keeping you guessing until the end.

I must be honest and admit that the Lucy Kincaid short story at the end didn’t do it for me. I kept thinking….do I need to read this and is it necessary for me to get into the next book in this series!!

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Review: Hades (1001 Dark Nights, #18; Lords of Deliverance, #6.5; Demonica, #11.5) by Larissa Ione (Goodreads Author)

Hades by Larissa Ione
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

2,5 stars
Hades is a novella and part of Larissa Ione’s fantastic Demonica/Lords of Deliverance Series and I was really looking forward to the blue mohawked badass and jailor of Sheoul’s story.

I was a bit disappointed….perhaps it had something to do with this being a novella because the story felt somewhat rushed and I just didn’t feel connected to the two main characters.

Hades didn’t sparkle to me!! He dawdled around Cat aka Cataclysm, fallen angel because she was in cahoots with the wicked angel Gethel, who nearly caused a world apocalypse in one of the previous books, and is now working in hell for Azagoth trying to be a good girl so she can go back to Heaven.

Hades then finds himself trying to save Cat from bad demons even if it means that it will have so not good results in his trying to get out of the hell-hole he was thrown to years and years ago.!!!!

Look, it’s not a bad story but just not great and I am happy I read this addition to the series. Just didn’t excite me!!!

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Review: Take Two by Whitney Gracia Williams (Goodreads Author)

Take Two by Whitney Gracia Williams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was the most outrageous, funny, cute and actually an enjoyable romance love story ….

Even when some of the scenes were beyond OTT….and perhaps unbelievable beyond anything…it still kept me turning the pages …..what could possibly be more outrageous!!!!

Melody Carter, beautiful and talented NYC movie/book reviewer/critic is finally seeing her dream come true! Standing at the altar, saying her I do to the man of her dreams, when a woman walks up the aisle and steals her man from her! The man of her dreams ditches her and runs away with the wedding breaker!!! No, this is not The Runaway Bride Scenario….

She’s at the altar, alone at her three thousand dollar wedding she had always dreamt having…..

Devasted, heartbroken, left without a word by the man she believed was the ONE for one and she the ONE for him. That’s so cold!!! How could a man do something like that to a woman like Melody?? Because, she never saw beneath that glamour of his…that he was nothing more than …yes, this is what I think about her darling Sean…..

What is a girl to do in this situation? Go back to Mom and Dad, hurt, miserable, heartbroken, wanting old Sean back..blah blah blah…and naturally crying buckets!!!

But there comes a time when you have to do something about the situation…right?? Stop the sobbing and the tears and get on with life…start with the first thing….how to get him back…remember he didn’t like your beautiful red hair and made you change it to brown….start now….

And no, girl, throwing darts at his foto is not even close to good enough……

Yes, that thought you had!!! Keeping the bestest and most expensive wedding presents for yourself….no, throw away the cookware, keep the money and diamonds and art….

So it’s back to work and continue with your movie reviews…especially the nasty ones about Matt Sterling’s movies!! Hell, girl, they are beyond cruel!!!!

Matt Sterling, mega superstar, movie star, tabloid Hollywood darling is royally pissed off about the horrendous and negative reviews he gets from Melody Carter, super movie critic and he’s about to tell her exactly what he thinks about her!!!

Their first meeting in Melody’s office is totally brilliant…..

What follows next after this meeting is beyond believable!!!!
Matt Sterling and Selena Ross are a couple, both mega movie stars, once in love but now so not!! Selena wangles a way for Matt agreeing to them having the wedding of the century for publicity purposes, which turns into an absolute nightmare for Matt…because you see, he’s totally besotted with Melody but he can’t seem to find a way to get his life straighten out!!!

Melody is totally besotted with Matt…who would ever guess she could find the REAL man of her dreams so quickly??? But then Matt Sterling is no Sean….he’s so much …so beyond much more than that not Melody’s real first man……

This was such a quirky story with some really great secondary characters….my favorites being Joan, Matt’s PA and Jen, Melody’s sister!!! They were a laugh a minute.

Look, this is not a book that’s gonna win any Pulitzer or whatever prize…rather it’s a story that takes you away from the mundane and everyday life…a great escape from reality…and just what I needed!!!!

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Review: Any Way We Want (Want, #1) by Grey Cole (Goodreads Author)

Any Way We Want by Grey Cole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I like ménage books but more often than never, I find myself being disappointed with the cliché story of two guys and one girl having sex and more sex and very little else.

How pleasantly surprised I was with Any Way We Want: (Vol. 1: by Grey Cole

The author sure packed a lot into this rather short story…… Sexy, emotional, complex, erotic….

I liked the story and the plot development was pretty good, although it’s more character driven than plot driven.

I liked the romance aspect …..which focused mostly on the two men, Royce & Shea.

They have been together in a relationship for a few years before Luna becomes part of their lives. In fact, the build up and chemistry between Royce and Shea was pretty amazing….much more than between the three. Luna just never seemed to have the deep connection the two men had with each other. I just didn’t feel that sizzle when she was with them……

My favorite character? Royce, without a doubt!!

So, I am totally hooked on these characters and can’t wait for the next installment…I mean..after that damn cliffhanger!!!! Really!!!!

If you like m/m and m/m/f stories….read this one. I can definitely recommend it. And I will certainly be reading more books from this author.

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Review: Numbers (New Species, #14 & 15) by Laurann Dohner

Numbers by Laurann Dohner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Numbers, the latest addition to Laurann Dohner’s New Species Series contains 2 novellas in the book, hence it being listed as #14-15 in the series.

Book 1: New Species feline previously known as #140, introduced in Wrath #6 in the series, is now known as Mourn. Having lost his mate from all the tests carried out by Mercile, he’s now determined to ending his life. He has no purpose to continue living and does everything possible to be taken down by his Species brothers.

Dana is visiting her brother Paul, who works as a medic in Homeland’s Medical Section, where she meets Mourn.
Having lost her loving husband to cancer, she understands what Mourn is going through. She wants to help ease his pain.
would have liked a bit more of their relationship and a bit less about their dead spouses.

This was a sweet story of two people in pain, who find solace in each other.

Book 2:This is Hero previously known as #927, who was introduced in Valiant #3 in the series, having been the one to keep Valiant’s mate, Tammy safe during their capture before they had been rescued.
As a child, during his captivity, he had shared a cell with Candi, a human child and daughter of an evil Mercile scientist. The two children had formed a very strong bond but when Hero was rescued, he believed what he had been told – that he had killed her.

Candi was transferred from the Mercile labs to a mental institution by her father, who had told her that 927 had been destroyed.
After years of pain and abuse and torture by one of her father’s assistants, she’s not become redundant after her father’s death….and Candi knows that this is the last chance she will have to escape before the assistant kills her.

Fleeing after being forced to kill Penny, the assistant, or be killed, she hitchhikes across the country determined to find Homeland, the place she’s heard that she will be safe.

Hero and Candi discover that they have been lied to about each other’s so called deaths when she finally arrives at the New Species home.

I felt for these two. The torture and hurt they experienced. The things they did to keep each other safe during their time together as prisoners in a cage, was really sad to read about.

There are a lot of issues both will have to deal with before they can be together again.
Candi never gives up on Hero. She loves him and she knows he loves her. She will do anything to get him to see that the two were always meant to be together.

Their story was my favorite in this book. I just wished it had been a bit longer.

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Review: Justice for Sara by Erica Spindler (Goodreads Author)

Justice for Sara by Erica Spindler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Katherine aka Kat McCall returns to the place where she had grown up, the small town of Liberty in Louisiana, which she had left 10 years previously after being charged and found not guilty, for the murder of her sister, Sarah.

She needs to find closure for the guilt she has about her sister’s death, which was not caused by her, and is also determined to find out who had killed her.

Once again, the author sets the story in a small town that holds secrets and people who are determined to stop her from finding out the truth.

Family secrets, betrayals, a killer determine to stop anyone from finding what happened all those years ago, lies and a bit of suspense and romance.

I did enjoy this book and the characters but I guessed soon into the story who the guilty parties were…although there was a bit of an unexpected revelation at the end that I never expected.

I would have probably given this book a 4 star rating because I was kept pretty interested most of the time but there was one thing that nagged me….the part when the heroine’s home is torched so that her sister’s journals, that might contain clues to the murderer’s identity, are destroyed.
This was exactly the same what happened in the previous book I read from this author…In Silence https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... the heroine’s house is burnt down to destroy her mother’s journal, which may have information on the real killer’s identity.

However, this was a rather pleasant and enjoyable romantic suspense story.

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Review: In Silence by Erica Spindler (Goodreads Author)

In Silence by Erica Spindler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Avery Chauvin an investigative reporter with a newspaper in Washington, D.C. returns to her hometown of Cypress Springs, that she had left behind years before, to bury her father after receiving the news of his death by suicide.
As she draws her car to a stop on Main Street, it’s like she’s travelled back in time…..everything is the same as when she was living here. ….the quiet, slow-paced, peaceful, perfect, charming and safe place she knew. She finds the small town unchanged….the perfect, charming quiet, slow-paced and safe place, where everyone knows each other…a sense of peace… as she knew it from all those years ago…

Feeling consumed by sadness and guilt for her reason for leaving and not being back to see her family, she finds comfort in the arms of the Stevens family, who were very close to her family and the one twin son, Matt, that she had a relationship before leaving town.

But the perfect picture of Cypress Springs and the Stevens family is a deceptive one. Also she begins to question the manner of which her father died.
And when she starts looking deeper into his death, she discovers that there are things in this town that aren’t what they seem to be.

Great plot that moves at a good pace, keeping you turning the pages. Taut, suspenseful, danger, obsession, jealousy, family secrets, betrayals, diabolical killer and what can happen when people take judgments into their own hands. Good character development.

Despite having a few suspects of my own, I was totally surprised when I discovered who the killer/s are…the many turns and twists just never gave it away!!!!

Another good book by Erica Spindler.

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Review: Obsession Falls (Virtue Falls #2) by Christina Dodd (Goodreads Author)

Obsession Falls by Christina Dodd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After reading the prequel, The Listener and Virtual Falls #1 book in Christina Dodd’s Virtue Falls Series, I was interested enough to continue on with the next book. In the first two books, the author created the small, gossipy, slow-paced, friendly and isolated town named Virtue Falls, with some really interesting and quirky inhabitants.

Obsession Falls, the 2nd novel in this series isn’t actually set in the town of Virtue Falls until half-way through the book.

This story begins with interior decorator and sometime artist, Taylor Summers, who has decided to reconnect with her roots of her childhood years spent in the Idaho countryside. One her way, she stops to do some drawings of Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains, where she interrupts a boy’s murder. Shot and chased and just manages to escape into the wilderness and finds herself facing even more dangerous problems. On breaking into a closed holiday home, she discovers via the internet, that she is now being accused of kidnapping the boy she saved and is being hunted as a fugitive.

Forced to hide in the cold and cruel snowed in the mountains area, she has to use all her resources of survival that her deceased father had taught her as a child.

Terrified, lonely, cold, hungry and determined, she spends months evading the killers who are relentless in finding her.

After witnessing a murder at a home where she was working as a waitress, she flees again and arrives at the town of Virtue Falls.

What I liked about this book:

Taylor Summers – she was brave, resourceful, quick-witted and the things she did to survive were clever and ingenious. In trouble, alone and determined to survive and get her life back!

The vivid imagery of the settings was stunning…you feel the cold, you touch the snow, and you sense the danger, fear, and loneliness of the majestic and cruel mountain in winter, the fury of the storms in Virtue Falls….so well written.

Characters – Brilliant….my favorite were definitely Kateri & Rainbow!

The dash of paranormal interwoven into the story added a bit of twist.

Seeing characters from previous books like Elizabeth Banner and her town sheriff husband, Garik.

The twist at the end was TOTALLY ….unexpected and unforeseen….I was like WHAT!!!!!

The ongoing suspense and mystery kept me riveted

The main villain….aka Jimmy …he was evil personified but in some way I felt sad about him…yes, what he had gone through in the past was really awful…but still doesn’t give him the right to do the things he does in the present.

This was quite a long book and I felt that it could have been shorter…there were a lot of scenes that dragged on a bit.
I would have liked more of the story to take place in Virtue Falls.

This was more of a mystery/suspense/thriller with a dash of romance, which I just didn’t get into. The one main character, Kennedy McManus…I never understood his obsession with Taylor and the insta-love he had for her.

The “three-some” aspect in this story kind of didn’t do it for me. I actually thought that Taylor would make a different decision when it came to the two men in life!!!!

Overall, this was a well-written story and it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat.

I want to find out where the next book takes the series to….the ending was a totally cliffhanger.

You can read my reviews of the first two books in the series here:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

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Review: The Listener (Virtue Falls, #0.5) by Christina Dodd (Goodreads Author)

The Listener by Christina Dodd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Listener by Christina Dodd’s is the prequel for Virtue Falls, the 1st novel in her Virtue Falls Series and gives us a quick introduction to the small and intriguing town of Virtue Falls on the wild coast of Washington State, founded in 1902, population 2487 and known as “a Vacation Destination on the Washington Coast and Home of the World Famous Virtue Falls Canyon”
Oceanview Café,

the town’s local diner is where most of the story takes place…..the depiction and imagery of the town is written very well. You get the feel of a place where life revolves around the locals and their lives, the gossip, the secrets and the quirky and interesting characters that are part of the place.

The story revolves around an out of the ordinary and rather interesting local character named Cornelia. She’s a bit of an oddity and the locals think she’s off the wall and batty. But then if we had to see what she does…well, we could possibly think the same thing. Her way of eating her pie with the milk is a totally quirky scene!! So, Cornelia is very intelligent, rich, married to a loser, and is a whiz on a computer…and a hacker as well. But she only hacks into the local’s emails and e-texts!!!! And one day, she’s in for a different surprise!!!

Hacking into some local’s text discovers that two people are plotting to murder someone in the town. When she informs the local sheriff..well, he’s one of the town's folk who thinks she’s weird!!

I found some of the secondary characters in the story totally fascinating!! Especially, Kateri, the town’s Coastal Guard Commander and Rainbow, the café’s waitress. Their dialogue and interaction was a total hoot!! Hopefully we get more of them in the upcoming books.

The twist at the end….who was plotting a murder revealed …was a totally unexpected surprise!!!
The whole plot kind of reminded me of one of Roald Dahl’s stories…can’t exactly remember which one..but it had something to do with a leg of lamb!!!

I really enjoyed this very short introduction to the town of Virtue Falls and its inhabitants. It certainly sparked my interest to read the series.

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Review: Darkness (New Species, #12) by Laurann Dohner

Darkness by Laurann Dohner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Darkness, the 12th novel in Laurann Dohner’s fantastic New Species Series….and just as good as previous books!!!

I’ve been a fan of the New Species series from the when I read the first book and having met Darkness in previous books, I was really looking forward to finally reading his very own story.

He has always been one of the darkest New Species character having suffered immensely at the hands of the Mercile scientists. Trained as a killer and assassin, he has now become Homeland’s enforcer and executioner of untrainable or mad New Species. He hates and distrusts humans after seeing what was done to his fellow brothers and sisters. He also keeps away from any woman since the day he had been betrayed by someone he had loved and trusted. He has come to terms to be on his own for the rest of his life.
If there was one New Species character that deserved to find happiness, it’s Darkness.

FBI agent Katrina Perkins’s boss assigns her to work undercover at Homeland, the New Species home. Her mission is to find some prisoner there and work at getting him out.

Kat is dedicated to her job but is not pleased about her new duty. Wow, this was one hell of a strong character…kick-ass, tough cookie…and takes no prisoners!!!! To see her in action when she arrives at Homeland’s gate!!!!! This is Lara Croft in action!!!!

Is it any wonder that Darkness is impressed with his first sight of Kat? This is no needy woman…she’s courageous and totally in control.

Darkness may not trust Kat’s true intentions of her stay in Homeland but he cannot stop wanting her. To possess and control her. Yes, Darkness has a need to be in control…and yes he does like a bit of kink…

Kat was the perfect woman for Darkness. Strong and compassionate and adventurous too!! Agreeing to his request that they just have a sexual relationship with no feelings and love involved, hoping that he will not break her heart… ….

There was a time when I was unsure about Darkness’s behavior towards Kat…not wanting her to touch or kiss him was one of the things that I didn’t like. But then, this is a man who wants to keep his protective shield up…afraid to feel anything for a woman, afraid to love….But hell, Darkness, get your head together…you love this woman, so just get on with it and make sure you do not lose her!!!

Of course let’s not forget the really hot and sizzling sex scenes between these two….

Other things I adored in this story:

-Seeing the New Species kids….some really great scenes with them…they cute, adorable and totally lovable
-Kat’s roommate Missy…a romance writer…so so cool
-Meeting up again with the New Species characters we have come to know and love…Justice, Dr Trisha, Fury, Slade, Ellie and some new and interesting ones too
-Breeze…….please can we get her story soon!! I love this character. She has some of the best lines ever in this book…in fact I would love to see future books on some of the female New Species….
-The world that this author has created just keeps getting better and better with each book
-The friendship, kinship and caring between the New Species characters/community

A great addition to this series and I am looking forward to the next installment in huge anticipation.

One of my favorite quotes

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