Review: Beauty and the Clockwork Beast by Nancy Campbell Allen

Expected publication:
August 2nd 2016 by Shadow Mountain

Beauty and the Clockwork Beast by Nancy Campbell Allen is a Gothic, steampunk Beauty and the Beast retelling with elements of the paranormal.

Our heroine, Lucy, is smart, attractive and works for the Botanical Aid Society seeking a way to combat the Vampire Assimilation drug which allows vampires to walk among people undetected. Her brother served with Miles in the war. Cousin Kate has married Miles brother, Jonathan. Where she has rarely been ill in the past, Kate is now taking on the appearance of an invalid. With her experiences with the Botanical Aid Society, Lucy is hoping to find a cure for Kate. Lucy looks forward to a restful sleep, but is denied that when a ghost visits her in her room.

Miles is hiding something. He is rightfully bothered over the recent deaths of his new wife, Clara, and his sister Marie. Clara died of an unknown illness, much like Kate's illness. Marie died a violent death at the hands of an unknown and possibly paranormal assailant. He broods and snaps at anyone who dares enter his space.

Miles and Jonathan have an Aunt Eustace and a couple of cousins, the Charlesworths, that descend on the manor and further disturb the peace.

Will Lucy be able to save Kate? Will Miles and Lucy connect in spite of his foul temper and tendency to brood? Will Lucy be able to love the man in spite of his beastliness?

I enjoyed this retelling and give it 4 out of 5 stars. It's well plotted and moves along quickly. Lucy and Miles are well developed characters, the others a little less so. It's an interesting retelling with the paranormal and steampunk elements. The steampunk is less of an issue than the paranormal, but it is still important character wise. The book has book club questions at the end as well. If you like Gothic tales, this is a good one for you. Also it works well for people who enjoy a bit of the paranormal in their tales.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review: Unwanted by Jennifer Estep

This novella is considered #14.5 in the Elemental Assassin series by Jennifer Estep starring Gin Blanco. Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Elemental Assassin #14: Bitter Bite by Jennifer Estep.

The e-novella is told from the point of view of Finnegan Lane and takes place after the events in Bitter Bite, but before the upcoming #15 in the Elemental Assassin series, Unraveled.

The mini family reunion that occurred in Bitter Bite has left a bad taste in Finnegan Lane's mouth. It was a worst case scenario ending in the deaths of several innocent people at the bank where he works.

Attending the funeral for one of the guards, Finn finds out that the widow is being shaken down for some debts owed by the guard's brother. He decides that this is something he can take action on and that the widow shouldn't feel obligated to pay off the giant delinquent. Rather than call on Gin to deal with it, he takes matters into his own hands.

It's a good novella, 4 star quality. We see things from the point of view of Finnegan Lane, a well liked character in the Elemental Assassin series. Here though, he is disliked and full of self-loathing after the disastrous reunion in the previous book. It's interesting to see how he deals with the resulting emotions.

The story moves along at a good pace. It sets up some plot elements that could be built on in future stories. It"s all Finnegan and no Gin. This novella is best recommended for fans of the Elemental Assassin series who have already read book #14. It will please readers who have wanted to see a deeper side to Finn especially about how he feels after the events of Bitter Bite.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review: Night Shift by Charlaine Harris

In a small town with a vampire, 3 were-tigers, a witch, a psychic, two fallen angels, and some humans, something shifty is going on. People are coming into Midnight, Texas and killing themselves at the crossroads. Whatever is responsible, it's likely it will take teamwork to deal with it.

Lemuel, the vampire, is translating a book of ancient Etruscan which might just hold the key to what's going on in Midnight currently and why the residents were all drawn to Midnight to start with. There is a bit of romance gone awry with Fiji and Bobo. And Fiji plays a rather central role in the book.

This novel wraps up a lot of the loose ends from the other 2 books while still leaving enough gaps that Ms. Harris could continue the series if she ever decided to do so. She has said more than once that this is a trilogy. And Night Shift is the third book.

Each character has some sort of role to play in the book. My only regret is that the character who is now running the gas station and convenience store isn't fleshed out a little more. Even Teach and Madonna are more fully revealed.

I enjoyed the book. I give it 4 stars out of 5. It has good characters, a good mystery or two, and a good pace. I liked watching the characters work together to solve the problems they face. If you enjoyed the first two books in the series, then this is a must-read. If you like urban fantasy/paranormal stories, then you should check out this trilogy.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Throwback Thursday Review: Livin' Lahaina Loca by JoAnn Bassett

Wedding planner Pali Moon finds herself searching high and low in Lahaina for a missing bridesmaid on Halloween night. She is a little puzzled that the bride doesn't seem to be that worried about the girl. When the girl doesn't materialize, but something else does, Pali goes to the police and the detectives don't seem to be any more interested in the missing girl than the bride.

The mystery has action amidst the wedding planning as Pali tries to solve the disappearance. I liked the details about the culture of Lahaina, Maui. And the pace was pretty good. There is a little bit of a beginning of a love triangle going on. The main thing I didn't like was the resolution of the mystery. It's a cliffhanger with loose ends. So, if you're planning on reading this one, you might want to go ahead and pick up book 3 as well. I am not sure if I will bother or not.

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars mainly for the ending. Otherwise it would be higher. This is supposed to be a series, but the ending lends itself more to a serial.

Livin' Lahaina Loca by JoAnn Bassett was published March 18, 2012 by Lokelani Publishing. It is the second book in the Islands of Aloha mystery series.

Review: The Grind by Nikki M. Pill

Wow! What a thriller. It starts off slow and the pace picks up fast and keeps going right up to the end. The Grind kept me up late. I can't wait until the next book.

Anna Zendel, the main character in the book, was a burlesque dancer and therapist in The Tease, the first book in The Darling Killer Trilogy. In book 2, she is waiting to see if she will be allowed to practice therapy again and is working as coordinator/leader for the burlesque troupe, but not performing herself. The Darling Killer takes exception to that and starts to kill again after the admonition, "Keep performing and they live."

And to amp up the suspense factor, "Anna’s stage training and psychological savvy arm her for another deadly dance, but a series of sinister accidents threaten the survival of everyone she loves while a killer watches her from the wings."

So, Anna is fighting evil on 2 fronts, and she does so marvelously. She is a very human protagonist. Suffering from PTSD as a result of an attack in book one, she still manages to pull it together when it really counts. Some of the other characters are well developed while others are shallow. The shallow ones serve a purpose as well. They're important because of their reactions to what's going on around them which helps further characterize the others and move the plot forward.

The suspense is well done right up to the end. Seriously I can't wait for the third book in this trilogy. I want to know what happens next. I don't want to detail what I want to know next because it would give away spoilers.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. It is well written and fulfills its description of a suspense/thriller title. It's a hard book to put down.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review: Too Hot Four Hula by Jill Marie Landis

Published June 30, 2014
by Bell Bridge Books

Too Hot Four Hula by Jill Marie Landis is really a funny mystery with a touch of romance. And if you are familiar with Hawaii and Hawaiian culture or just like learning more about it, the book also provides for that in subtle ways. Bits of culture and words are sprinkled throughout and explained within context giving the book even more of a Hawaiian feel.

My synopsis:

Em's Uncle Louie, owner of the Tiki Goddess bar and master mixologist, has entered the Cocktail Shake Off Competition in Honolulu on Oahu. Em and the Hula Maidens have accompanied him from Kauai. Louie's "Booze Bible" was stolen. And to make things worse, Em's ex-husband was killed shortly after she met with him. Who has the drink bible? Em's alibi stinks for the murder. Will Roland, her lovely cop and part-time fire dancer from Kauai, be able to keep her out of jail? Will the Hula Maidens provide more help than hindrance as they take it upon themselves to solve the mysteries? Throw in a monkey and even more chaos ensues.

This is the fourth book in the Tiki Goddess Mystery series. Jill Marie Landis continues to write winners in this series. The characters that are most active are fleshed out. Both their virtues and their faults are visible and yet they are lovable. For example, the Hula Maidens wouldn't be the same without Kiki Godwin, who craves attention, to lead them and Pat, who is former military, but has no sense of rhythm, to keep them in line. The Hula Maidens also provide comic relief at times when the mystery is getting too heavy.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It's a great addition to the series. All the characters act true to themselves. The book has mystery, humor, and a dash of romance - a wonderful combination. I would recommend it to people that like to read about the Hawaiian Islands and people who enjoy humorous cozies.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

Review: Doctor Who: The Bog Warrior by Cecelia Ahern

Doctor Who: The Bog Warrior by Cecelia Ahern is part of the Time Trips series - short stories that are bigger on the inside. I read the Kindle edition which was published May 8, 2014 from BBC Digital. Each story in the series is written by a different author and which incarnation of the Doctor varies from story to story.

In The Bog Warrior, Ten has arrived on planet Cashel hoping for a little peace and quiet to recharge his batteries, so to speak. And almost at once things begin to happen to prevent him from doing so, just as we knew they would. What follows is a short story loosely based on the Cinderella tale, but with some differences of course. For example, most of the live humans are named for elements or minerals, the exceptions being the first 2 people the Doctor  meets. And instead of an evil stepmother there is an evil queen with an army of bog warriors.  

A synopsis from the publisher:

Arriving on the planet Cashel, the Tenth Doctor witnesses a strange masked ball. To guarantee peace, Prince Zircon has to choose a bride from the Bog People – dead men and women who have been resurrected as slaves. Or as warriors. But Zircon is in love with the enslaved Princess Ash, whose parents were deposed and executed by the current Queen. As usual, the Doctor has walked right into trouble, and it's up to him to sort it out.

The overall idea of the story is a good one, but it loses something in execution. The characterization of the Tenth Doctor is spot on. The story moves along at a good pace for the most part. There are places where a sentence of show could replace one of tell and occasionally awkward phrasing. Things are kinda skipped over as to where they came from or why they work the way they do. They might have fallen victim to an overzealous editor somewhere along the way or never been there, but I think Ten would have looked for them. And yes, I know it's a short story, but it seems a sentence or three could have cleared up some of this confusion. Saying exactly what would include spoilers. Sorry I am not being too specific.

So, I give this story 2 stars. It's ok, but it wasn't very satisfying.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this story in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review: Rude Bitches Make Me Tired by Celia Rivenbark

"If you really believe you have all the answers,which I do, why not share with the class?" says Celia Rivenbark in Rude Bitches Make Me Tired: Slightly Profane and Entirely Logical Answers to Modern Etiquette Dilemmas. She freely admits that this is not your Momma's etiquette book, although there is still a need for that sort of thing.

No, this etiquette book covers things such as playdates, how to really split the bill at the restaurant, how to give and receive compliments, and how to behave when arrested. As for the latter, "it's important to show you were 'raised right.'"

Yes, there is profanity in the book, but none of it is used solely for shock value. It rather is a natural outgrowth of the material being discussed. Long as you know up front that it's coming, you have no reason to complain about it.

The answers to the questions posed really are for the most part logical and common sense. Of course not all of us are gifted with common sense. But it's the expression of the answers that really sets the book apart. It is full of humor even when describing people at their worst. This  book would make a good gift for someone whose behavior you were subtly trying to correct. Or a great gift for someone whose funny bone you wanted to tickle.

I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars because I enjoyed it, but not as much as some of her other work.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased opinion.