The Quick by Lauren Owen

Reviewed by Desere


The year is 1892, James Norbury is a shy would be poet, coming down from Oxford he seeks somewhere to call home and ends up living with a young aristocrat.  This seems like any other newly acquired friendship as they build a relationship bonding over this and that, but it is also through this friendship that he is introduced to the drawing rooms of high society and unexpectedly also finds love. 

Thus everything seems to be falling into place for our young poet, but then he suddenly vanishes without a trace.  His sister, Charlotte is the one to come to his rescue as she immediately makes her way down the long winding road to find her lost brother, the road is filled with many sinister characters some willing to help her and others determined to make sure James is never found. 

This was a very riveting and gripping read, at first I thought from the blurb that it is a historical mystery all connecting back to the mysterious and very high class men's club, but as I got deeper into the read I found a whole other scenario.

The sister, Charlotte goes through various up's and down's trying to gain the confidence of those around the city's mysterious characters to aid her in her mission, it ranges from the "I can't tell you" to " Follow me and you will learn " types which made for a very interesting mystery. 

As she weaves her way into a world filled with the undead, yes you read it right, I said the undead, she finds that James has fallen into the hands of those who prefer to stay out of the light and only travel at night. By now am sure you have guessed am talking about vampires. 

Surprisingly it takes quite a while for anyone of the characters to actually come out and say the word, at first I thought this strange but then an afterthought reminded me that back in the 1800's people were not as forthcoming as today and most things were only whispered or simply ignored or called by another name for fear of being part of scandal or being implicated as one of the undead. 

The book did start out almost a little too slow, it focuses on Charlotte and James's childhood and all though it felt unnecessary as the story grows and the children turn to adulthood it links back beautifully showing how strong the bond between James and Charlotte is. 

The book comes in at whopping 544 pages and is not the type of book you pick up late at night after a long day, when you start and once you get past the slow buildup there is pretty much no putting it down,  the mystery within the mystery made it so fascinating and closing it off and saying you will go on the next day and then trying to sleep is definitely a HA not happening moment! 

I highly recommend this read for all fans that like to be transported into the past with great historical detail and a world like no other meets the world of the living.

5/5 star review 
" Be quick or you might be dead" 

***Copy provided by Random House Struik South Africa in exchange for a honest review 

Carousel (Book 2 in Fire Ballad Series) by Kimberly Stedronsky

 

Reviewed by Shirley Buchanan

I have always believed that angels live among us. It could be the person who stops you from accidentally walking into traffic. Or is it the person who offers comfort, sympathy and compassion to someone in grief? Or maybe it's the person who performs acts of kindness anonymously? But are there other kinds? Ones who don't show those good tendencies? What would or could they do? While reading Kimberly Stedronsky's newest book, I definitely gave them a lot of thought.

Sweet, kind and generous, Wynn Rush, daughter of Logan and Violet, tried to help others in any way she could, putting herself last. Painfully shy, she never felt like she fit in with the rest of her peers, even though she had tried in her younger years. Maybe it just wasn't in the cards for her to be part of all the activities other teenagers experienced. Besides since their return from Icepond, a lot of new responsibilities had been placed on her young shoulders and there was no extra time for anything else. As always, her first love and loyalty would always be to her family. Then potential tragedy struck. A photo showing her future death by the Carousel Killer was delivered to her home. She couldn't ask her family for help because that would put them in danger. Only one person could be her ally in ferreting out the killer before the photo came true, Cole Mathison.

Locating facts, spinning theories, and researching legends, they would peel back every layer to find the killer, but assistance to her endeavor was not the only thing Wynn finds with Cole. Love comes barreling in during the investigation to take her completely off guard. Can she convince Cole she loves him while saving herself from a horrendous death, even if she is immortal and will live again? And after it's all over, will she be able to keep her true love or will past grievances and misconceptions tear them apart?

Handsome, muscular, and immortal, Cole Mathison has fought his share of ghosts, demons and the supernatural, but Wynn's request for his help and protection to help find the Carousel Killer was the hardest gig he had ever had. With each new discovery they are pulled closed together and he finds himself drawn to her. Despite every reason he knows he shouldn't, he finds himself falling in love, but he doesn't feel like he deserves her. Only when they are together he finds peace from his own demons for the first time. Can he let her go when the crisis is over or will he ignore his logical brain and hang on to her forever?

With so many twists and turns intertwined with the excellent character development and intriguing plot, this story was a joy to read. Turning the pages quickly because I was so enthralled in the action of the story, I felt as if I was there helping them figure out the reasons for the murders and encouraging their fledgling love. Mystery, suspense, intrigue, action and roller coaster emotions made this a very entertaining story. Intense interaction with the secondary characters, including some from the Roam series, provided an excellent addition to this story.

I would recommend this book for all readers of romance and paranormal.

I received an ARC from the author for an honest review.

5/5 stars                       Could they solve the mystery and find love before she died?

Eighth Note by Kimberly Stedronsky

Reviewed by Shirley Buchanan

Although it has been some time since a novel has made me want to look in dark corners, be wary about pulling back a shower curtain or second guess a visit to a remote cabin in the woods, this new novel by Kimberly Stedronsky was that kind of read. Beginning the book fairly late at night, I couldn't put it down until I read the spectacular ending. A spinoff from the popular Roam series written by the same author, characters from the series were introduced and explained enough that you never felt lost or confused.

Smart, beautiful and feisty, Eva Reed has just about everything that she wants: the love of her life, her husband, Will, a beautiful young child, Perry, and a rewarding passion, her blog, Fire Ballad, but she is restless and bored. For someone who has saved not one, but two worlds, this everyday ordinary life leaves a lot to be desired. Cole Mathison, a friend from the past, suddenly appears presenting her with a problem that he thinks she is the perfect person to solve...a murder, a supernatural murder. With her love of music, magic and immortality, Cole believes she will be able to delve through the evidence and find the murderer. After all, everyone else dies after hearing the evidence, but being immortal, she can't die, but would only feel the pain. Believing she can withstand the trials and tribulations that will come, she accompanies Cole to a remote cabin in the Catskills to find the killer. Only things aren't what they seem. Solving this murder will test her love, her sanity and her resolve. Will she place everything on the line or is the price too hard to pay?

Can Will's love save her when she is pulled too far to the dark side?

Or will the supernatural murderer claim her as his prize?

A wonderful and excellent book of paranormal, mystery and intrigue with intense scenes enacted by well written characters. Enthralled from the first to last page, this book was a real page turner. I don't think there was an emotion that I didn't engage. The vivid descriptions, spicy dialogue and emotional content made you feel as if you were present and part of the action. Another fabulous read. Well done Kimberly! I can't wait for your next book.

I received an ARC from the author for an honest review.

Recommended to paranormal and romance readers.

5/5 stars Can true love defy the odds and save her?

The Broken Destiny by Carlyle Labuschagne

Reviewed by Desere

I have never been the kind of reader that goes out of the way to read paranormal reads. The back blurb has to seriously sound intriguing and like something I definitely want to find out the ending to, and as it happens it is only once in a while that I actually manage to find one that interests me to the point of any kind of interference will send me into a fit for the interruption, as was the case with this read, I wanted to stick a label on my head with the words " Go away I am reading!" .

The read had many and I do mean many, many fascinating characters all trapped in a world of fantasy and striving to find a way out, all written by the author with such vivid detail and such emotion it had me hanging onto the edge of my seat, crying, begging for more and wishing I could climb inside and get just a little closer to it all.

A story of searching to find where you truly belong for you simply do not feel as if you really fit anywhere and then discovering you are one of the most important links in saving the world as you know it.

Yes, I do realise I am not giving you much of what the story is really about but this is completely intentional as this book was so many magical elements tied with absolutely brilliant writing that me spoiling it would be a complete and utter tragedy to the readers of our world.

You simply need to go and read it for yourself. Looking at the blurb and not liking the sound of it? Let me set you on the correct path by telling you that you will be missing out on one of the most thrilling, exciting, brilliant reads of this year.

Secrets, destinations of justice, soul searching, self discovery, learning to trust, emotional heart-ship and even a little romance, the book had it all and all set in a world so magically empowering that you will be left breathless, mind blown and absolutely spellbound.

The characters each had their own set of secrets and problems to deal with, and there being so many characters to take in during this read added to the excitement and thrill of the unknown, I simply could not stop from digging to find out as much as I can, the author entertained and kept my attention all the way and delivered a punch on every single page!

The read also contained a very powerful message of our lives has a way of changing when we least expect it, but finding yourself on a path to a greater destination is sometimes the reason that will allow us to get to the point of looking deep within yourselves to see who we are truly meant to be.

I highly recommend this read for all fans of sci-fi reads, and if you have never tried the genre before this is the book that will change your mind and send you off to the shops in search of more. In my opinion this read will definitely be hitting the best sellers list in no time at all, and I place this author right up there with the big names such as Rae Rivers and Natalie Singh. Absolutely fabulous work!

Bring on book 2 Carlyle!

5/5 star review

"Being broken does not mean you cannot save the world"