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Emerald Flame (Flame #6)
Emerald Flame (Flame #6)
Caris Roane | 2017 | Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Emerald Flame (Flame #6) by Caris Roane
Emerald Flame is the sixth book in the Flame series by Caris Roane. We focus on Warren, Alpha of the Cordion pack, and Kiara, a witch who has worked closely with wolves in the past. In fact, she has set up a refuge centre for those that rescued from the various sex clubs. They spend time there, dealing with what has happened to them, and learning to fit in with pack life again. She likes Warren, Warren likes her, neither of them want anything long term. They are also working against Julio, who has taken over too many packs for their liking. When he attacks Ralph, a friend of both Warren and Kiara, things step up and the action kicks into gear.

This is a hot story, full of action and steaminess. With an alter wife thrown into the mix too, I wasn't sure where it would go, but I'm very happy with the way it turned out. It is smoothly written, with one scene flowing nicely into the next. There were no editing or grammatical errors that jumped out at me whilst I was reading it. The characters are all fully believable and behave in a realistic way. This is a full-length novel, and it was nice to be able to sink my teeth into it properly. I would highly recommend this book, and this series, to all lovers of the paranormal genre.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
Ghost Slayer
Ghost Slayer
Majanka Verstraete | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, Paranormal, Young Adult (YA)
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
It’s not very often that I encounter a book that perfectly fits the mould for young adult fiction, but Majanka Verstraete’s Ghost Slayer does just that. The book is a pleasant, quick read that kept me just interested enough for me to devour it in a few days. Also, I find that it would appropriate for teens, even though its main character is a twenty-one year old college student.

Kaelyn isn’t your average college ghost hunter. She’s a bit more of a Winchester sort, with less flash and more stab. Fortunately for her, she’s got a ghost to deal with in an old haunted house and the an old flame on her mind. As if that’s not enough, something’s wrong with her powers! It’s a pretty standard paranormal plot, largely feeding off cliché haunted house movie tropes – which I feel is a great beginning place for teenagers.

Character-wise, we see much of the same themes. I don’t want to go into spoilers, but we do encounter a damsel, or rather several, damsels in distress as well as a strong female lead character. So I guess there’s that. I feel that main character’s love interest could have been a little less stereotyped and a bit more fleshed out, too. He was a tad too generic.

Overall, I liked several elements of this book. I think it finished more strongly than it began and had a few excellent concepts at its closing. I look forward to possibly checking out the second book. A special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy for the purpose of an unbiased review.
  
The Grownup
The Grownup
Gillian Flynn | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry
4
7.4 (15 Ratings)
Book Rating
Ambiguity in a story isn't necessarily a bad thing, but there's also a point where it becomes too much. In Gillian Flynn's award winning short story, "The Grownup," the reader is presented with a perfect example of exactly what happens when there is simply too much story left unanswered.

I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn't admit that Flynn immediately snared my attention with the opening to her short story: a main character whose job is to... well... to pleasure men, but not by having sex with them (oral or otherwise). Of course, this profession of hers is masqueraded by a front as a psychic. Because of this need to cover up her actual job, the main character meets a troubled woman by the name of Susan Burke and from there, things get a little crazy to say the least.

Plot-wise, Flynn does a great job at sticking to what many horror fans might describe as a classic ghost story, only she doesn't really go too far in depth as to the details of the haunting - or lack thereof. Instead, she introduces several characters, a plausible chain of what might be paranormal events, and then an inconclusive ending where no fault is actually placed.

For a short story, "The Grownup" isn't all that bad, though I must admit that the title doesn't mesh well with its contents. I would much rather have read this as a full length novel, as Flynn undoubtedly has a knack for unexpected twists and turns. Even though I found "The Grownup" to be unsatisfying, Flynn's talent at the element of surprise still shined through brightly in this short work.
  
40x40

Hazel (1853 KP) rated Delta in Books

Apr 4, 2019  
Delta
Delta
Jordan Elizabeth Mierek | 2019 | History & Politics, Mystery, Paranormal
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Suitable for anyone who wants to enjoy a short story, Delta is the latest novella by the versatile Jordan Elizabeth. Based on an historical event but with purely fictional characters, the author weaves real life and paranormal/fantasy together to create a gripping tale.

Set in the years leading up to the time a small village was flooded to create Lake Delta in 1917, the short story focuses on the Madison family who believe the plans will never come to fruition. As the years pass, neighbours begin receiving eviction letters but the family remain steadfast in their belief that their land won't be affected.

Meanwhile, the protagonist Lottie is given the task to deliver daily baskets of food to her Aunt Flora, a lady housebound in a cottage in the woods, however, Lottie is forbidden to ever enter the house.

As Lottie grows up with the threat of the flood becoming more of a reality, she begins to question why her parents are so convinced that all will be okay. In the months leading to her 17th birthday, she overhears her parents speaking of magic, but surely magic isn't real? She is soon to discover the painful truth and learn that she is not who she thinks she is.

Delta was quick to read and the ten year storyline sped by. The fast pace makes readers eager to reach the conclusion, a conclusion that is in no way predictable.

Whilst short, Delta is definitely worth reading. It is perfect for those moments when you need something to do but can't commit to reading a longer novel.
  
Never Fear the Reaper
Never Fear the Reaper
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
In a world filled with darkness…
can true love spark just enough light to save it?
When Chase hires the mysterious ghost exterminator, Ryder, to cleanse his house from a pesky poltergeist he gets way more than he’s paying her for…
There’s just something about Ryder that has him mesmerized.
Is it the fact that he’s witnessed her do the unexplainable? Or the fact that she’s absolutely breathtaking? Or perhaps it’s that eerie familiar feeling that they’ve met before, perhaps in another lifetime.
Chase desperately tags along with Ryder on a whirlwind of life threatening adventures in exchange for a few precious moments of alone time with her. With the Grimm Reaper’s Scythe as their defense, Chase developing some supernatural gifts of his own and an intense crush developing between the both of them what crazy supernatural force will target them next?

Never Fear the Reaper (A Never Fear the Reaper Series Book 1) Ashley Pagano is an original read that is full of non stop action and the paranormal/supernatural.
Ghosts, Poltergeists and Demons abound in our world and a pair of reckless humans are determined to either help them move on, or make them.
Ms. Pagano is a new-to-me author and I have very much enjoyed my first experience of her work.
I loved reading it. I was hooked from the very beginning and found myself lost in the pages. It not only has a wonderful storyline it has characters that I loved reading about.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion
  
Murder at the Palace
Murder at the Palace
Margaret Dumas | 2019 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
First Days are Murder
When Nora Paige’s movie star husband is caught having an affair with a co-star, she decides it is time to start over. Fortunately, Nora’s friend Robbie needs someone to manage the Palace Theater up in San Francisco. However, Nora’s first day doesn’t go as planned. She’s barely met the staff when she finds a dead body in the backup ice maker in the basement. Naturally, she doesn’t recognize the victim, but none of the staff know who he is either. Could his murder be tied to the death of the previous manager? And, if that shock weren’t enough, Nora starts to see a hallucination that just might be the ghost of an usherette named Trixie from the 1930’s. Is Nora going crazy? Can she figure out what is going on?

Since I rarely do paranormal cozies, I almost skipped this book, but I was so drawn to the classic movies theme that I had to give it a try. I’m very glad I did because it was fun. While we find the body early on, the set up, including introducing Trixie to the mix, does slow thing down at the beginning, but there is a strong mystery for Nora to solve. Nora, Trixie, and the rest of the cast are a hoot, and I can’t wait to hang out with all of them again. And there is plenty of talk about old movies. While I haven’t seen many of the movies mentioned yet, the discussion certainly made me want to fix that. I’m already buying my ticket for the next entry in this series.
  
I forgot how much I loved a good paranormal romance novel until I discovered Frost. A couple of my favorite authors recommended Jeaniene Frost, singing her praises. I was a bit hesitant after the slew of horrible vampire romances that I have forced myself to make it through as of late.

Boy, was I pleasantly surprised. Frost’s fiery Cat immediately captured my attention. She was one of the first female protagonists who actually enjoyed being schooled about her weaknesses. Instead of being obnoxiously stubborn, she actually threw herself into making herself stronger and learning from her faults. I know that sounds like so many other female leads, but to me she seemed different. I didn’t feel that everything was a struggle between Cat and Bones. Whenever they fell in love, I could see how they got to that point. They did have fire and chemistry, but it was far from them continuously butting heads and arguing like so many other novels do.

I also enjoyed the simple plot. It wasn’t about Cat and Bones being the only two being able to save the world from certain doom. Of course, they did have a goal they were working towards, and an antagonist they had to take down. However, there were no random surprises that only the author could see coming and no twist that broke our necks from confusion.

However, I will state that Cat’s ridiculous mother seriously made me want to slam her face into the pavement. While Frost can create the likable characters of Bones and Cat, she can also create some monsters like Cat’s mother.