Banshee's Embrace

Jacqueline is confused at what is happening to her after a strange attack.  She should have died, but her husband sacrificed his life for hers.    Strangely, since then she is drawn to death, moreover she can see when it is coming for someone.  Even stranger is the urge to sing for those who are dying.  All of this happening to her becomes disturbing and affects her emotions.  Jacqueline meets Toby who has been charged with keeping an eye on her, as he knows the truth about her banshee origins, and how rare half-banshees are.  While they are rare, if in the wrong hand she can be a very powerful weapon, and Toby must work to help keep her safe from those who want to use her.  Jacqueline finds herself falling in love with Toby when she is kidnapped by another wizard and she must use her powers to save herself and the man she loves.

I was really excited about this book because it is something different from the typical, ghosts, vampire, werewolf, demon, angel stories we have been seeing all too often.  The idea of the main character being a banshee had a lot of potential for me and I had very high expectations for something unique.  That being said the book was very well written and entertaining, but it didn’t hit the mark for me.  The beginning was rather confusing and seemed to stumble a bit as it gives readers a back story of Jacqueline.  But once you get about 25% through, the story really picks up and begins to fly.

The book is paranormal romance, I would have personally enjoyed it without the romance aspect to it. I know sometimes it adds depth to the characters and gives them something more than her being a banshee and him a wizard trying to save her, but sometimes it also takes away from the story.  It almost feels like it began to take away from the story.  The romance didn’t help build a connection to the readers, nor did it seem to be natural.  The book unfortunately does not stand out as all that fantastic to me, yes it is a good read and a great way to spend an afternoon.  But there isn’t much that is making me excited to read the next book or hold on to the characters the way I do with another book.

Would I recommend this novel, sure. I think there are people who would greatly appreciate the story and get enjoyment out of it.  As for a rating, I would give this a 3 out of 5 star rating for the reason that it’s didn’t grasp me and hold on, and I have forgotten most it shortly after reading it.

Break in reading

Sorry that I have been posting much lately.  I have been going through a lot of things and honestly have neglected my reading list.  Oh the horror I know!  Things are getting back to normal and I am back to reading a large amount of books at a time, so stay tuned to see more reviews of some fantastic books.

Alice Takes Back Wonderland

After years of being told that Wonderland was not real, Alice begins to forget about the land of Wonder and regularly takes her medications.  That is until she spots the White Rabbit and follows him once again into Wonderland, but it is a completely different place than what she remembers.  Ace of Spades has made it his mission to take back all the wonder and turn Wonderland into the real world.  It is up to Alice to find allies and save Wonderland from being destroyed.  In order to do so she must travel through the land building her army with familiar faces from other fairy tales like Peter Pan, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty.  Will Alice and her army have the strength need to defeat Ace of Spades once and for all and take back Wonderland and restore it to it's former glory?


Now as some of you already know, I am an avid fan of Alice in Wonderland.  It is my favorite story of all time and enjoy various re-tellings of the story and seeing how others view the classic tale.  But this....this is probably one of my least favorites to the point where I didn't even get halfway through the book before I gave up on it, and I have only given  up on a book 2 or 3 times.  I don't even know where to start to describe this book and how much dislike I have for it.

I don't mind fairy tale mash-ups I have read some that were pretty interesting but I think too much was added into this one.  Maybe if it was extended out more to meet different fairy tales in different books before coming to the climax may have made the book different.   It just felt all over the place without a clear focus on one thing.  The writing I didn't care for, it felt a little too unrealistic and juvenile.

Because I couldn't finish the book...1 star.

King of Hearts

Alice has been cheated on more times than she can count.  She is a beautiful woman and cannot understand why men treat her the way the do.  She decides that she will not allow another man to have a hold over her heart.  Then one day she finds herself falling down a rabbit hole into a beautiful world where her curves are sexy and desirable.  The king is determined to make Alice his new queen, but can she trust this gorgeous specimen of a man.

Now this is a COMPLETELY different type of story I normally read and will put a disclaimer that this novel is for MATURE audiences.  There were several times that this novel made me blush.   It is border line pornographic, don't get me wrong I love a good romance novel, but this was way beyond romance.  I have read and enjoyed other Cheyenne McCray novels, but this went beyond her normal romantic paranormal romance.

It is great seeing a character with curves being seen as a goddess, I want more novels like this to show all women are goddesses and deserve to feel desire and love like this.  I love seeing the king go to all lengths to try and show her his desire for her is real and not a ploy to get into her pants.  Cheyenne has a way of making her stories seem real, and the same goes for this novel as well...it was very...steamy...phew! 

I am not sure if I would recommend this novel.  It is very much not my cup of tea, but I know there are women out there who do enjoy a rather raunchy novel.  Putting my own preferences aside, I would give this book a 4 out of 5 rating.

Shallow End

Jane Thompson has just been released from prison, for a crime she didn't commit.  Just a month after her release the body of a teenage Devon was found and Jane is the prime suspect because he accused her of having a relationship with him when he was 12.  Detectives work hard to find who the killers of this boy are when everyone else is determined to believe Jane is culprit.  When things seem to be at a dead end they discover information that will not only solve this case, but prove Jane's innocence all along, including her innocence for the crime she served for.  Will the detectives be able to put together all the pieces and close this wild goose chase of a case?  Or will the killer walk away free?


I had the honor of receiving this book from the publisher/author through netgallery, and I couldn't have been more excited to read it.


The book setting is constant dark and dreary, there is always the sense that it could be raining or about to rain which adds to the atmosphere of the story.  We see a broken woman trying to piece her life together only to be accused of a crime once again and the need to prove her innocence.  The end was incredibly surprising that my jaw just dropped when I read it.  Chapman created such a suspenseful novel that I cannot wait to read more from her.


The beginning felt like I had read or heard the story before, probably because I just finished watching a TV show that had a storyline along the same lines.  But Brenda Chapman then takes that story and twists it into something completely unique and original.  She built suspense through the whole book that I couldn't wait to find out who the killer was, I thought I had it figured out by I was way wrong.  I love when books lead you to think one thing and then turns it completely in a different direction.

The characters were beyond complex and developed.   My heart went out to Rouleau, Gundersund, and Stonechild as they each had something I was able to relate to happening in their own lives.  Things they could not overlook, but at the same time had to put on the back-burner because of the investigation.  There were some things I wanted more of such as Stonechild's niece Dawn and the idea that someone was in Stonechild's home when she wasn't there.  Maybe her finding a glass left out or a plate in the sink.  Something to heighten that thrill.


I highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves a good mystery thriller.  I give this a resounding 4 out of 5 mainly because it was slow to start, but it does really begin to pick up with the investigation.