Night Broken (Mercedes Thompson) by Patricia Briggs Review

Series: Mercedes Thompson #8
Publish: March 11th 2014 by Ace
Format: ebook, 352 pages
Rating: 5 / 5+

Synopsis: An unexpected phone call heralds a new challenge for Mercy. Her mate Adam’s ex-wife is in trouble, on the run from her new boyfriend. Adam isn’t the kind of man to turn away a person in need—and Mercy knows it. But with Christy holed up in Adam’s house, Mercy can’t shake the feeling that something about the situation isn’t right.
Soon, her suspicions are confirmed when she learns that Christy has the farthest thing from good intentions. She wants Adam back and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen, including turning Adam’s pack against Mercy.
Mercy isn’t about to step down without a fight, but there’s a more dangerous threat circling. Christy’s ex is more than a bad man—in fact, he may not be human at all. As the bodies start piling up, Mercy must put her personal troubles aside to face a creature with the power to tear her whole world apart.

Review:
  I'm a hard core Mercy Thompson fan so it was a no brainer that I would read this book. But when I saw the cover and the synopsis .....well, that sealed the deal.

  Night Broken is the eight installment in the fantastic Mercedes Thompson series. My favourite supernatural creatures are shifters and I have to admit that this book has one of the best shifter based world. Especially , since there are a lot of other creatures in it too, but the shifters still stay in the limelight. I love how the books discusse the other paranormal races problems, too but it is always the shifters, mainly Mercy who solves their problems. And the most interesting part in this series that there isn't an underlying thread, connection between the books, but every intsallment is about different story, still the books strongly fit together. Probably because of the excellente characters.

  I really was looking forward to reading this book, I was curious about how Chrissy reappearence will distirbe the balance in the book. However, I'm a bit disappointed because I really expected more drama from it. I mean, Mercy simply doesn't react to anything that bitch does. She is the bigger person and all tis just evidence for the stability of her and Adam relationship, but still a girl can dream. Beside this little disturbance the first part of the book is little on the slow side, but interesting and gives the whole book a kind of intensity. I liked the plot and how things turned out at the end. There is everything in it that an incredible urban fantasy needs: excitement, a little mystery, romance, action and all of this merged together perfectly. And even there is a few new pieces from Mercy myterious history. There is a lot of original idea showcased in this book which makes it even more enjoyable to read it. Despite the fact that Night Broken is a bit slower than the other books in the series, it is one of the best, too.

  Patricia Briggs contuines her phenomenal work with character developement, the already fantastic characters just became more and more detailed during the series. I love Mercy personality. She is far from perfect but willing to learn and work on her methods. She starts to learn more about the Pack politics, no matter how hard it is.She is really loyal, presistent, smart, quite confident in her capabilities and in this book she shows an incredible amount of restraint. I admire her self restrain but still hoped she is going to say enough is enough and pits Chrissy in her place.
  Mercy and Adam are one of my favourite book couple, they somehow balance out each other and they have a really mature relationship. They support each other but Adam has a couple of really stupid decision in the book. These could have destroy them, fortunately their marriage is resilient enough.
  There is a lot of surprise from the the secondary characters, too. Firts there is Chrissy, who is quite the annoying and selfish bitch, still almost everyone supported her opposed to Mercy. Her presence just undermined Mercy authority even more. However Honey surprised me in a good way.

  In the end everything back to normal and Mercy prived her strenght in every way. This book is a bit more relationship based and more emotional than the others but worth the time. The only problem it is another year before the nex installment.

Bloodmagic (Blood Destiny) by Helen Harper Review

Series: Blood Destiny #2
Publish: December 29th 2012 by Helen Harper
Format: ebook, 156 pages
Rating: 5 / 4

Synopsis: After escaping the claws of Corrigan, the Lord Alpha of the Brethren, Mack is trying to lead a quiet lonely life in Inverness in rural Scotland, away from anyone who might happen to be a shapeshifter. However, when she lands a job at an old bookstore owned by a mysterious elderly woman who not only has a familiar passion for herbal lore but also seems to know more than she should, Mack ends up caught in a maelstrom between the Ministry of Mages, the Fae and the Brethren.
Now she has to decide between staying hidden and facing the music, as well as confronting her real feelings for the green eyed power of Corrigan himself.

Review:
  The second book in the Blood destiny series starts roughly six moths after where Bloodfire ended. I was really excited when I started it because the first one was simply fantastic, but in the end I was a bit dissapointed.

  The characters and the writing style is still the same and I sill like it but there is a huge hole in the book. In my opinion there isn't a story behind the happenings. Sure there is a lot of action and badass fighting, new developments and emotions but nothing realy connecting and more important main thread than in the previous one. Because of this and the lenghtof the book when I finished I felt like I lost half of the book somewhere along the way. Kinda ended in the middle of the action. And I had high hopes, I don't like when I have to be dissapointed. It was unfortunate. This huge missing piece was my main problem with the book, I liked the way things were working in the first book, but in this everything chaneged. There is a jumble of everything supernatural in it. Mack pisses of everybody who counts, meddel with the fae, with magic and with the shifters even more. And I missed the shifters. Sure there are shifters in it, mainly Corrigan I just don't get why, doesn't really have a place in the story. They just show up out of the blue. Don't get me wrong I accept every minute I can get from Corrigan, but their part of the story is out of place is this book. So there is everything in it, a confusing mix of otherworld and the whole thing is rushed. It is good for making a great foundation for the following books but nothing else.But I still liked it. When you have a great main character and an interesting world and a talented writer, it is almost impossible to write a bad book. I look at it like a bridge or a companion novella.

  I loved Mack how she was in the first book. She isn't worst in this just a bit more emotional and maybe reckless. After leaving the pack she became pennyless and really lonely, oh and a bit paranoid, too. But her fighter spirit saves her again and again. Her biggest problem in this installment she cares too easily and can't give up somebody even if it means she becames the target. She gets new abilitis and those just complicates her life. Honestly I laughed a lot because of her reactions. There are a lot of changes in her personality and I can't decide yet if it is good or bad that she started to mellow.
  Then there is that so called sexual tension between her and Corrigan, it is still there and finally they started to realize it, too. I'm rooting for them they are cute together.
Unfortunately, Corrigan lost a little of his shine for me. He is a bit slow realizing the true and looks a bit dumb because of it. An beside that his obsession with Mack starts to seem unhealty. Okay, I still like him but come on get yourself together and man up. Just like in the first book.
  There are quite a few new characters but we still doesn't get to know them deeper. However, in this book I doesn't rmind it that much I did it in Bloodfire. Solus isn't really lieabel, at least I doesn't like him. And the others just keep dragging Mack down.

  I'm goingto continue the series despite my initial dissaponitment. I hope Corrigan and Mack romance ging to fire up a bit and the story gets back to the right tracks. I really like the general conception of the book I hoping for the best.

Poison Promise (Elemental Assassin) by Jennifer Estep Review

Series: Elemental Assassin #11
Publish: July 22nd 2014 by Pocket Books
Format: ebook, 400 pages
Rating: 5 / 4

Synopsis: Gin Blanco is hard-nosed, sexy, and lethal. Nicknamed “The Spider,” she’s a stone elemental assassin who brings her unique mix of magic and tact to every assignment, no matter the target.
There’s a new drug on the streets of Ashland, and its name “Burn” sums up the potent effect it has on its users. When one of her restaurant employees is threatened by dealers of the drug, Gin steps in to set things straight...

Review:
  Here is the eleventh book in Jennifer Estep phenomenal Elemental Assassin series. So far I read everything form the author and I think that she really good at writing urban fantasy. I didn't really expected this much installment in the series especially after reading the fifth book. For me it started on a rocky road, I liked the general idea but it took a while, a couple of books, it too became one of my favourite. But since then I always look foraward to reading new installment. The course of the series it developed a lot, story and character wise too.

  It's amazing how easy it is to fall back into the story and that the author still can show us something new and that the story is still exciting and original. There is an ongoing development in the books that helps this. And I think the fact that there is 2 or 3 new book piblished in the series every year helps, too. The reader don't have to wait a year between them. It's a quite accomplishment from a writer especially since she has/had another ongoing series. I think because of this there is not that much reharsing in the book than usually in others and I really like this fact. I hate when half of the book is about what happened in the previous ones. If you want to now read them first and don't strat with the eleventh one.
  I really like Jennifer Estep's writing style and how she can twist thing you thought are already finished but suddenly something happens and it turns out there are still mystery behind it. Also she is quite a talented writer when it's about character building.
  The story as always is told by Gin and despite the fact that nowdays almost every book is narrated from at least two point of view, the book still can hold it's place.

  As all of the previous books there is a crazy dinamic in the plot and everything happens really fast still it's not so hard to follow. The whole installment is full of surpriese and dispite the little predictable details, like that Gin is going to come out on top in the end, it is still exciting and fresh. A lot of thing is unforeseeable because there isn't a main arc in it like there was in the first 5. You simply don't know what is going to happen. Sure I was expecting the infamous M.M.Monroe appearance since the author drawn it out quite a while beside that however it is a mystery. I was hoping that M.M. Monroe isn't as bad as Mab were. Unfortunately we get a more maniac version of her, not good at all.
  After Gin satisfied her revenge every book started to became more emotional and more about Gin and the other characters feelings and sometimes their background. However, it's looks like the series is returnig to the beginnings in plot wise. I mean we got another mastermind criminal who still lives after a whole book with Gin. Oh and Gin desperatly needed a more focused goal. I don' have any idea how long the series is going to be but right no the author is contracted for 12 books. In taht case I think the final showdown with M.M. Monroe is going to be a bit rushed. I see a lot of potential in it.

  Gin has a kind of personality I love. Strong, sarcastic, independent and a real fighter. Still I think after she defeated Mab she simply lost herself. And beside this she started to be more and more emotional and in the course of the 3-4 book she started to feel tired. She can't bethe cold blooded killer she once was and I think she is strating to exhauset herself. It is not helping either that her friends and family slowly leave her behind but they still expect the help and problem solving from her. She reache rock bottom in the seventh installment when Owen left her and since then she is barely keeping her head above water. Book after book it feels more emotionally exhausting for her and all of that is wonderfully portrayed and I can really feel them. I love her but I think her so called retirement is more spending than she thought. She should take more time for herself. Fortunately, Owen came to his senses and since then their relationship is really solid and balanced. I think it is strange how can Owen be so important in Gin life, yet we know so little about him, he stays in the background in a way. However it seems Owen the only constant in her life and he is the only one who doesn't leave her behind.
  I never liked Bria and this book didn't changed my opinion. I started to simply hate her. She always were judgmental with Gin but in this book she became cruel and mean with her. Gin made many sacrifices but Bria couldn't cope with them, respect them. She only sees the cold blooded killer and she acts like somebody who desn't even want to try and get to know the real Gin. It's really bugs me, especially since Finn, her boyfriend isn't better crime wise and she doesn't have any problem with that. It doesn't matter Gin how much tries to warm up to the idea that her sister still lives, Bria makes it immosibble since most of the time she simply just avoiding Gin. Except when she needs something from her criminal sister. Oh, and I was a bit dissapointed in Finn, too. He is starting to leave behind Gin, too. Don't get me wrong all of them was written perfectly. I just don't like Bria selfish and judgmental personality.

  Over all Poison Promise is a fantastic instalment in an interesting and exciting series. I can't wait the next book, but I'm a little afraid that the end is near. However I don't know what would be best a couple of new books or to finally give Gin a little bit of a peace. She deserves it.

Most Wanted Books of August by Viki

Wicked Innocence
by Missy Johnson Synopsis: Don’t let my petite and innocent appearance fool you, because I’m one person you don’t want to cross. I’m Micah, the youngest member of Resurrection…If only they knew how young.
My fake ID says I’m twenty-one. And I will be…in four years.
What can I say? I blossomed early. Home sucked, so I left, determined to do something with my life.
Landing the gig as lead vocalist in the band was a dream come true. I’ve worked hard to make something of myself and nothing is going to ruin that for me.
Then He showed up. Saxon Waite, ex bad boy of rock.
He’s hot as hell and so into me.
But he’s also twenty-five.
I don’t want to lie to him, but if the truth comes out I’ll lose everything. Including him.
Publish date: August 4th 2014

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Opposition
by Jennifer L. Armentrout Synopsis: Katy knows the world changed the night the Luxen came.
She can't believe Daemon welcomed his race or stood by as his kind threatened to obliterate every last human and hybrid on Earth. But the lines between good and bad have blurred, and love has become an emotion that could destroy her—could destroy them all.
Daemon will do anything to save those he loves, even if it means betrayal.
They must team with an unlikely enemy if there is any chance of surviving the invasion. But when it quickly becomes impossible to tell friend from foe, and the world is crumbling around them, they may lose everything— even what they cherish most—to ensure the survival of their friends…and mankind.
War has come to Earth. And no matter the outcome, the future will never be the same for those left standing.
Publish date: August 5th 2014

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Blood Games
by Chloe Neill Synopsis: While Merit didn’t choose to become a vampire or Sentinel of Cadogan House, she vowed to fight for her House and its Master, and she’s managed to forge strong alliances with powerful supernaturals across Chicago. But even though Merit has had wild adventures, this may be her deadliest yet...
A killer is stalking Chicago, preying on humans and leaving his victims with magical souvenirs. The CPD hasn’t been able to track the assailant, and as the body count rises, the city is running out of options. Vampires and humans aren’t on great terms, but murder makes for strange bedfellows. Can Merit find the killer before she becomes a target?
Publish date: August 5th 2014

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Saxon
by Chantal Fernando Synopsis: Some men won’t take no for an answer. And some women might find this flattering, being asked out over and over again by a man determined to have you. But not me. Not that the man in question isn’t sexy as sin, funny as hell and charming as they get. Because he is. Sometimes you just can’t allow yourself to be interested in someone for other reasons, other variables. This is one of those times. Saxon Tate is my best friend’s ex-boyfriend. He cheated on her. He could possibly cheat again. That's three strikes. He’s out.
Publish date: August 11th 2014

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Bloodfire (Blood Destiny) by Helen Harper Review

Series: Blood Destiny #1
Publish: December 27th 2012 by Helen Harper
Format: ebook, 246 pages
Rating: 5 / 5

Synopsis: Mack might be, to all intents and purposes, a normal looking human, but she lives with a pack of shapeshifters in Cornwall in rural England after being dumped there by her mother when she was just a young child. She desperately wants to be accepted by her surrogate family, not least because a lot of them hate her for merely being human, but for some reason her blood just won't allow the transformation to occur.
With a terrible temper to match her fiery red hair, Mack is extraordinarily useful in a fight, and when her pack alpha is brutally and abruptly murdered, she swears vengeance. Unfortunately, his murder also draws in the Brethren - the leaders of the shapeshifter world - who will slaughter everyone in Mack's small rural pack if they discover her true identity. Unfortunately Corrigan, the green-eyed muscle-bound Lord Alpha of the Brethren, doesn't let much slip by him...

Review:
  This is the first book I ever read from Helen Harper but I's sure I'm going to look for her works from now on. I have it on my to read list for a while now, but for some reason I didn't read it yet. However, the other day I stubled upon it again and started it. I'm glad I did, because it is an excellente story and I found a lot of similarities with one of my favourite series. I quckly became a fan.

  The story starts after a devasting event in the pack life and from there everything start to spiral out of control at least for Mack. There is already a lot of threat for her life but suddenly these multiply. There is a great chance that her true identity is gets exposed but she is too determined to get revenge so she is willing to risk it. The whole mystery about Joh murderer is strongly interwined with Mack history and secrets. However, while Mack part of the suspense is quite predictable the other part isn't. Thanks to this there is a really strong balance in the plot. I really liked the book, it was a little strenge in parts but in the good way. Everything takes olace in the British Islands with a little supernatural twist. I think the autor idea about the paranormal world is quite godd, but in this book it mainly focuses on the shifter population and doesn't really talks about other species. Otherwise I like the general background of the story. There is a tangled web of lies and secrets in the shadows what makes difficult everybody lifes.
  The plot is well spaced and gradually unfolds. A well written book with interesting characters, exciting world and an action packed plot. The whole story is told by Mack who gives us a hazy picture since she isn't quite sure what's going on either.

  There is a lot of interesting character in the book but we only get a clear picture about Mack. She is my cup of tea. Strong, snarky, fiery and generally a trouble maker. She is raised by the pack and they are the only family she knows, but since she is human her mere existence is a therat for the pack. She needs to keep a low profile for a while but foe some reason she simply can't do it. No matter how much she tries. Everywhere she goes trouble follows. I really like her personality but it is a bit strange that nobody ever quetioned tha fact that she is a better fighter than most shifters when is is just a human. Beside this her bloodfire thingy is a little hazy, it takes a while to really unterstand the meaning of it. This ridiculous disregard of clues from their part is easily forgivable because it doesn't take away from the story.
  Corrigan is the only one who sees the signs of her power he just can't put together the right picture. However he is a really observant and in my opinion quite likable character. Sexy, strong and smart and for some reason Mack got his attention from the beginning, too much of his attention. I love the interactions between the two and I think there is a hidden attraction somewhere behind their fighting. He knows perfectly which buttons to push and not just with Mack, everybody. I like him, I hope there is going to be something more between him and Mack.
  I like most of the pack, well expect Anton, but unfortunately we doesn't get to know them enough. There is a lack of deeper introduczion for them. They all love Mack in different ways. Most of them is kind and loyal.

  It is a beautiful and interesting story, but it is missing something, something I can't quite put my hands on. Still I loved it. I can't wait to finish the second book, since there is a lot of place for development in every way, but for a first book it's perfect. It's spieced with a lot of surprising twist and turn most of them I couldn't perdict and I liked it. It is a fresh and a phenomenal book. Perfect for everybody who likes urban fantasy.