Book Review: A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

Title: A Dirty Job

Author: Christopher Moore

ISBN: 978-0060590284

Publisher: Harper Collins

Pub. Date: 2007

Source: Borrowed

Genre: Humor/ Fantasy/ Paranormal

Pages: 405
Rating: 3 Kisses
Author's Website

Synopsis (from Goodreads): Charlie Asher is a pretty normal guy. A little hapless, somewhat neurotic, sort of a hypochondriac. He's what's known as a Beta Male: the kind of fellow who makes his way through life by being careful and constant -- you know, the one who's always there to pick up the pieces when the girl gets dumped by the bigger/taller/stronger Alpha Male. But Charlie's been lucky. He owns a building in the heart of San Francisco, and runs a secondhand store with the help of a couple of loyal, if marginally insane, employees. He's married to a bright and pretty woman who actually loves him for his normalcy. And she, Rachel, is about to have their first child. Yes, Charlie's doing okay for a Beta. That is, until the day his daughter, Sophie, is born. Just as Charlie -- exhausted from the birth -- turns to go home, he sees a strange man in mint-green golf wear at Rachel's hospital bedside, a man who claims that no one should be able to see him. But see him Charlie does, and from here on out, things get really weird. . . . People start dropping dead around him, giant ravens perch on his building, and it seems that everywhere he goes, a dark presence whispers to him from under the streets. Strange names start appearing on his nightstand notepad, and before he knows it, those people end up dead, too. Yup, it seems that Charlie Asher has been recruited for a new job, an unpleasant but utterly necessary one: Death. It's a dirty job. But hey, somebody's gotta do it. Christopher Moore, the man whose Lamb served up Jesus' "missing years" (with the funny parts left in), and whose Fluke found the deep humor in whale researchers' lives, now shines his comic light on the undiscovered country we all eventually explore -- death and dying -- and the results are hilarious, heartwarming, and a hell of a lot of fun.

My Reveries and Ramblings: A Dirty Job was so funny. Weird. But hilarious. My thoughts pretty much cycled through this: "This is really really weird.....OMG HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.....huh???What's going on???......HAHAHAHAHA.....OH SHIT!!! OMG!!! OMGOMGOMG!!!!" and would just continue like that through the whole book. Kind of like how Charlie felt during the book. 
     Besides the writing (which was phenomenal!), my favorite aspect of the book was the characters. They were all so quirky and interesting. Even the obscure characters were intriguing, and so much fun to read. My top three, aside from the zombie-frankenstein-animals, were Charlie, Minty Fresh, and Sophie. Sophie was adorable! I just wanted to pick her up and squeeze her the entire book. Minty Fresh was hilarious! Everything he said pretty much made me laugh. And Charlie, Charlie was so funny and cute. There were quite a few times when Charlie reminded me of my boyfriend (who actually recommended the book to me). Oh, and the ending? Epic. Epic and OMG-what-just-happened worthy.
     I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a good laugh and a strange yet exciting story.  

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Book Review: Shadow Fall by Erin Kellison

Title:  Shadow Fall

Author: Erin Kellison
Series: Shadow #2

ISBN: 9780505528308

Publisher: Leisure Books
Pub. Date:  July 2010
Source: Publisher

Genre: Paranormal Romance/Fantasy

Pages: 322

Rating: 4 kisses

Excerpt | Segue Institute Website |  Author's Website

Synopsis (from Dorchester Website):  

Sacrifice
Custo Santovari accepted pain, blood, even death, to save his best friend. But a man with all his sins just isn’t cut out to be an angel.
Mystery
One moment he’s fleeing Heaven; the next, he’s waking up stark naked in Manhattan. In the middle of a war. Called there by a woman who’s desperately afraid of the dark.
Shadow
It gathers around Annabella as she performs, filled with fantastic images of another world, bringing both a golden hero and a nightmare lover.
Wolf
He pursues her relentlessly, twisting her desires even as she gives herself to the man she loves. Because each of us has a wild side, and Annabella is about to unleash the beast.

My Reveries and Ramblings: My Reveries and Ramblings: 
If you haven’t read the first book, stop reading now and go read it (Shadowbound).

      Now, for those of you who have read Shadow Bound, get ready for a whole dose of action, romance, and suspense. The story begins with Custo in heaven. He’s somehow ended up as an angel, much to his displeasure. Wanting to help and warn Adam of a betrayl, Custo tricks Shadowman into switching places with him. Lost and trying to find his way back to Segue, Custo sees a woman dancing and is drawn to her power, just as the wolf is. Wolf has been hunting Annabelle trying to find a way out of Shadow and into her world. When Custo accidentally lets him into the real world, both his and Annabelle’s worlds are upturned.
      My favorite thing about this series is Ms. Kellison’s characters. She doesn’t write her characters in terms of good or bad. Each character has good and bad qualities. Custo is my favorite example of this. He’s not good. And he knows it. At the same time, he’s not evil. Every choice he makes is based off what he can gain. This is true of every character in literature, except that Custo is very selfish. The only times he is not selfish is with Adam and Annabelle. There are so many layers to Custo’s character-I love it!
      Annabelle was also different from most heroines. She’s a principle ballerina in her company. Having sacrificed so much and worked so hard, she starts to reap the rewards. However, after Wolf notices her hidden power when she dances, he becomes obsessed. Cue Custo. After he saves Annabelle, she is forced to accept protection from both Custo and the Segue Institute. Throughout the book, Annabelle is torn between her love of dance and her love for Custo. Her journey to find the balance between the two was interesting to read.
      I really liked this book, even more than Shadow Bound. I adored Custo and all of his complexities. Wolf is a creepy, perverse, and terrifying villain-which made this book all the more absorbing. This book is very well written, engaging, and so worth reading!

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Previous Books: Shadow Bound

Book Review: The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker

Title: The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker

Author: Leanna Renee Hieber

Series: Strangely Beautiful #1

ISBN: 978-1428511453

Publisher: Leisure Books

Pub. Date: August 2009

Source: Publisher

Genre: Paranormal Romance/Historical Romance/Urban Fantasy

Pages: MMP-322

Rating: 4 Kisses

Buy: Amazon | Book Depository

 Author's Blog   

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  What fortune awaited sweet, timid Percy Parker at Athens Academy?  Hidden in the dark heart of Victorian London, the Romanesque school was dreadfully imposing, a veritable fortress, and little could Percy guess what lay inside.  She had never met its powerful and mysterious Professor Alexi Rychman, knew nothing of the growing shadows of the Ripper and other supernatural terrors against which his coterie stood guard.  She saw simply that she was different, haunted, with her snow white hair, pearlescent skin and uncanny gift.  This arched stone doorway was a portal to a new life, to an education far from what could be had at a convent and it was an invitation to an intimate yet dangerous dance at the threshold of life and death.

My Reveries and Ramblings:  I was shocked!  I did not expect to love this book as much as I did.  Ms. Hieber captured me in the very first few words.  Her world is so gothic and romantic.  I just love it!  It was like Jane Eyre meets Harry Potter meets Ghostbusters. 

The Guard was blessed with powers to rid the civilian population of evil ghosts/spirits and other demons.  In order for them to succeed they must work together.  As soon as they split, they weaken.  Besides ridding the world of evil beings, they are looking for the reincarnation of Persephone, the goddess who gave them their powers.  All they were told was that she would be their peer, to look for a doorway, and to be careful of imposters. 

When Percy Parker arrives at Athens Academy after leaving the convent that raised her, she is immediately regarded as odd.  With her white hair, glowing eyes, and uber-pale skin she has always felt she was different.  By covering herself up, she protects herself from the gawking stares of others.  That is until she starts spending her nights being tutored by Prof. Rychman, who insists she removes her “barriers.”  The first time Alexi, Prof. Rychman, sees Percy without all the scarves and glasses he becomes mesmerized.  During the course of their tutoring sessions, Alexi becomes more and more convinced that she is Prophecy.  However, the Guard refuses to believe that she is their seventh since she is not a peer but a student.  Instead they do everything they can to convince Alexi that the real Prophecy is Miss Lindon.  Alexi must choose between the two.  The wrong choice could mean the end of the world. 

            Ms. Hieber’s writing blew me away.  I find that most historical romances  have great stories, but the writing is weak.  That was not the case in this one.  When the characters spoke, their word choice as well as their sentence structure was appropriate for the time.  I was so happy to not hear the words “yeah” or “Oh my god” or even worse, “buddy.”  Nothing ruins a historical romance like 21^st c. talk.  Ms. Hieber’s Victorian era writing is itself ,enough for an applause.  Her word choice and descriptions were just perfect.  Seriously, this book could have been written in the Victorian era and there probably wouldn’t have been a difference in word choice or style. 

            Now onto characters.  When we are introduced to Percy Parker, she is scared and alone.  Her friends see her as “strangely beautiful” while others avoid her, if not for her strange looks then for the possibility of being mad.  When she arrives at Athens Academy, she finds that her professors don’t think she is crazy when she (rarely) talks of seeing visions (or dreams) and speaking to ghosts.  One professor in particular finds her fascinating.  His name? Professor Alexi Rychman.  Before I continue I must say his name bears a striking resemblance to one Alan Richman (aka Professor Severus Snape).  After reading about half of the book I found out that Professor Snape was who Ms. Heiber had in mind when writing this character. 

            Alexi is cold, mean, stiff, and lonely.  He is hard on Percy and considers her failure to do well in his class a major flaw.  However, he falls more and more in love with her over the course of the book.  Alexi was so frustrating (and oh so swoon-worthy).  Shortly after reading The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker, I watched BBC’s North and South.  The second Richard Armitage came on screen, I almost fell out of my chair! It was Alexi!  This was exactly how I had envisioned my Alexi!  This was before I found out that Miss Hieber had actually mentioned him in an interview (at Darkly Reading) as an alternative to Alan Richman (too old now) for Alexi.  

            The romance was knit with so much sexual tension, you could almost see the sparks.  Yet, there was very little kissing.  The tension alone just made me want to scream “Get together already!” It was awesome.  There was also a few subplot romances going on within the Guard which were equally fun to read.  I can’t wait to read the rest of the books to see more of those play out.  This book doesn’t really have a cliffhanger.  These books are more like Harry Potter where there is a beginning, middle, and end, but there are certain story arcs that span across the whole series.  Although I do want to find out what happens with Alexi and Percy.  Basically, I love this book.  I’ve read it several times since finishing it, stopping every once in a while to daydream about Alexi *sigh*.  I love the eeriness of it-very gothic. 

If you like: retellings (ancient greek myth of Persephone), Historical romance (Victorian era), Paranormal (ghosts, demons, etc.), Gothic Romance (swoon-worthy hero, eerie qualities), and apocalyptic scenes, then you’ll love this book.

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Book Review: Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward

                                  Title: Lover Revealed

                                  Author: J.R. Ward
                                Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood #4  

                                ISBN:  978-0451412355

                                       Publisher: Signet
                                         Pub. Date: March 6, 2007

                                        Source:  Gift (B-day)

                                  Genre: Paranormal Romance/

                                                              Urban Fantasy

                                  Pages: 480

                                  Rating: 3 Kisses

                                  Buy: Amazon | Book Depository

                                           Excerpt | Website  

Synopsis (from Goodreads.com): In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York there's a war raging between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defender of their race. But now an ally of the Brotherhood is about to encounter his own dark desire... 
Butch O'Neal is a fighter by nature. A hard living, ex-homicide cop, he's the only human ever to be allowed in the inner circle of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. And he wants to go even deeper into the vampire world to engage in the turf war with the lessers. He's got nothing to lose. His heart belongs to a female vampire, Marissa, an aristocratic beauty who's way out of his league. If he can't have her, then at least he can fight side by side with the Brothers... 
Fate curses him with the very thing he wants. When Butch sacrifices himself to save a civilian vampire from the slayers, he falls prey to the darkest force in the war. Left for dead, he's found by a miracle, and the Brotherhood calls Marissa to bring him back. But even her love may not be enough to save him...

My Reveries and Ramblings: Lover Revealed is Butch and Marissa’s story.  Butch is taken by the lessers very early on in the book after saving a civilian vampire.  He is tortured for information about the brotherhood, but never gives in (Go Butch!).  However, something truly evil is done to Butch before he is left for dead in the middle of nowhere.  After the brotherhood rescues him, they question his fate and allegiance.  Butch is no longer the same “cop.” After healing from his stay with the lessers, he starts to notice some changes: his body is letting off an odd spice scent around Marissa, he is much more aggressive, he can suck lessers into himself, and his blood turns black whenever he destroys the lessers his way. 

            Marissa and Butch’s relationship had so many “aw” moments but there was one thing that seriously annoyed me; when Butch called Marissa “baby,” I cringed.  I really don’t know why that bothered me so much.  Other than that, everything was fine.  Butch wasn’t my favorite character, even in the beginning, and this book didn’t really change that for me.  Although, there were some aspects that really stood out and made me love Ms. Ward’s writing even more. 

            The Black Dagger Brotherhood series is a romance book series (just look at the titles).  The characters in the series have so much depth, not often seen in adult romance novels.  With each book, Ms. Ward astounds me with the way she skillfully balances the passionate love scenes with actual plot.  In Butch’s story, just like Zsadist’s, the central characters grow and change through the story.  Butch starts out insecure in his place in life.  Later in the book, when Butch is telling Marissa about his past he comments, “I’ve always been different from other people, not just in my family but when I was working here on the CPD force, too.  I never fit in…until I met the Brotherhood…I’ve been living on the fringes all my life…(p. 325).”  As the story progresses, the Butch becomes a part of a family, a part of something he never had.  Marissa also finds herself.  Even though Butch and Marissa fought a lot in this book, I think it was appropriate.  Neither were secure with themselves.  After Havers forced independence on Marissa, she started to follow her “Rule Number One: Right or wrong, she made the choices in her life.  No one else did (p. 402).”  Of course, Marissa doesn’t become independent overnight.  In fact, she moves in with the brotherhood.  Slowly, she begins to become her own person.  Her transition from flowing gowns and corsets to pants and turtle necks was very symbolic of her transformation from a push over, aristocrat to a fully independent woman, free of the cage her brother and the glymera had forced her in all her life. 

            Lover Revealed was definitely a huge step forward in the war between the vampires and the lessers.  What happens to Butch changes everything.  The Black Dagger Brotherhood have a whole new deadly weapon in the war.  As the Scribe Virgin said, “Now the new era in the war begins (p. 399).”   

            In this installment, Vishous and John Matthews also share some narration time.  Vishous has to deal with his confusing feelings towards Butch and Marissa.  John Matthews has to come to terms with Wellsie’s death and Tohr’s leaving.  Honestly, I felt bad for Vishous (his book is next!), but not John Matthews.  Seriously, John truly annoys me.  I feel like every time Ms. Ward writes a John Matthews part I have to fight the urge not to skip forward, mostly because all he does is whine!  It’s all poor-weak-me.  I’m not strong enough to beat up Lash.  I’m so weak. Etc. *

While this wasn’t the greatest of the Black Dagger Brotherhood books, it definitely is worth the read.  Fair Warning:  like all the BDB books, there are quite a few graphic sex scenes, violence, profanity, and of course blood and gore.  If you haven’t picked these books up yet, then I suggest you buy them…yes, buy them.  They are too amazing not to purchase because you will want to reread them over and over again. 

*note: I’ve actually read up until and part of the way through Lover Mine (John Matthew’s book) and I do like him, much much much better, in that book.
                   

                Playlist:

                

Previous Black Dagger Brotherhood Reviews:  Dark Lover  |  Lover Eternal | Lover Awakened

Book Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

                                         Title: The Iron King
                                  Author: Julie Kagawa
                                   Series: The Iron Fey
                                  ASIN: B002WEPDLS
                                 Publisher: Harlequin
                                 Pub. Date: January 26, 2010
                                  Source: Amazon (kindle)
                                 Genre: YA/Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
                                   Pages: 368
                                   Rating:  5 kisses
                                      Buy: Amazon | Book Depository
                 
                                Website | Blog | Excerpt 

Synopsis (from Goodreads.com): Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined. 
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home. 
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change. 
But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

My Reveries and Ramblings:  I first read The Iron King a year ago, before I even knew book blogs existed; before I was really into reading.  This book shocked me with its amazing-ness (yes, I’m well aware that this is not a real word-but oh well).  I didn’t think I would love it as much as I did.  Since then, I’ve read this book at least 5 times.  I LOVE IT!   Not only did I love it, but my sister (who is extremely picky when it comes to books and almost never reads) loved it too. 

       The story begins with the protagonist, Meghan Chase, making it through high school.  So far, she’s had a pretty rough life.  Her father disappeared/left when she was younger; her mother remarried and had a baby, Ethan.  Her family is dirt poor, she is underappreciated, and is the loser at school.  The only bright spots in her life are her best friend Robbie and her younger brother Ethan.  On her sixteenth birthday, Ethan is kidnapped and replaced with  a changeling.  With Robbie’s help, Meghan ventures into a world filled with faeries and other creatures to rescue her brother.  What was supposed to be just an ordinary rescue mission turns into something much more.  Meghan learns the truth about her birth, her family, and who she really is.

<<SPOILTER ALERT-START>>

       Meghan Chase is such a great character.  She’s not really talented at anything; however, she is a good person and a very strong character.  She risks everything to save her brother.  When she meets Ash, the winter prince, he is puzzled at how she allows her emotions to influence her decisions.  Through the course of the book, Meghan learns that she can make a difference; that she isn’t invisible; that she is wanted.  She also grows up (through all three books). 

       Ash, the Winter prince, is just sooooooo hot.  (Note-the sidebar on the left has my Team Ash button!!!)  Seriously, every time he walks into the room/scene I get butterflies.  I just love him.  You’d think after having read this book so many times, that would go away-it does not.  When I re-read The Iron King last week, I was just giddy the entire time.  By the way my absolute favorite line of his is: “Touch her, and I’ll freeze your testicles and put them in a jar.  Understand?”  Ha ha.  When I first read that line I laughed so hard.  But in all seriousness, Ash is a very quiet and calculating character.  He never lets his emotions show.  The thinks rationally; well, at least he did until Meghan entered his life.  Over the course of the book Meghan and Ash have a TON of obstacles they have to overcome.  It definitely doesn’t help that Ash and Robbie are out to kill each other. 

       Robbie, Meghan’s best friend, is actually Puck from the Summer Court.  He was ordered to protect Meghan Chase and keep her from discovering the truth.  Well, its safe to say, he failed.  But it was all for love.  He is so very weak when it comes to Megan.  Its kind of cute, but still, I like Ash better.  However, Puck is just so funny.  Almost anything he does or says gets me on the floor in tears.  Even though I am completely Team Ash, I feel bad for Puck.  He really does deserve to fall in love. 

 <<SPOILER ALERT-END>>>

        Ms. Kagawa fills her novel with fantastic characters, including a sharp-talking cat.  I love every one of them.  Ms. Kagawa’s imagination is so vast and vibrant.  Her world is amazing.  I was pulled in, just like Meghan, and was taken on a journey, one that I will most likely never forget.  Think Alice and Wonderland meets A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream.  I highly recommend this book (series) to anyone who loves YA/romance/ supernatural books.  If you do, you’re going to love this!

Book Trailer(s)

Playlist:

*note: I really really loved Julie Kagawa's playlist for The Iron King.  I actually listened to it while reading the Iron King and I can't really imagine any other songs fitting quite as perfectly as those do; therefore, my playlist is almost identical to hers with a few additional songs.  Here is the link to her playlist:  Julie Kagawa's playlist