Greensmith Girls

Rowen Greensmith is an aspiring journalist and is beyond happy to have gotten away from her family, and their reputation.  But when her aunt calls about 2 dead bodies, Rowen returns to home for the story and to help her family avoid the press. Her whole family, and Eric Richardson get pulled into the a story of supernatural intrigue.


So this book was relatively shorter, coming in at alittle over 100 pages.  It is easy to fall in love with the idea of this family of women being pulled into a supernatural mystery.  But the idea and execution are two different things.  The writing itself was a hit and miss.  Something's were great while other things not so much.  The tone was very monotonous and hard to really get into. There is a lot of build up to what happened only for the reader to be let down with the "big reveal"  it wasn't all that big if you pay attention. 


There is a romance in the story, and I guess almost every story needs to have a budding romance in some form or another.  The characters aren't really all that deep, nor do they grow throughout the story.  Rowen decides to quit her job after a few short days of her family  having a sort of see-saw effect of welcoming her and not welcoming her.  They didn't seem all that warm enough to quit a job.  Once the book ended I had more questions that answers.  There isn't much to the story other than Eric and Rowen just  driving around.  I would have liked a little more from the ghosts speaking or interacting with the characters more, or more aspects of the women being witches.  That part of the story seems important, but isn't used much.


If you like a book that is incredibly easy to read and that you don't need to put a lot of effort into it, then sure pick up this book.  But if you want something with a little more meat to it, then this isn't for you.  Personally, I give this book a 2 out 5 stars.  I was not a fan of it.

Twisted

Aoife qanted nothing more than to protect her family and care for them.  She has rejected every advance from potential suitor.  She is happy with the way her life is going, if only her father would lay off the drink.  All that changes when, in a drunken stupor, her father promises the Duke that she can turn straw into gold.  Aoife does her best to show how the Duke can change his excess straw into gold, but he takes her father's claims literally and demands she turns straw to hay.  This begins a deal with a little wizard man, one that could end up costing Aoife everything she loves dear.

This story is a supposed retelling of Rumplestiltskin, but I feel as though I have read this story before.  It may be because I am so familiar with the tale and this book doesn't really deviate from the tale.  It is remains close to the tale we all know with a few exceptions. I admit it felt like to story progressed a little slow for me with details that are mundane.  It wasn't until Aoife began learning about the Duke and his birth that I felt like the story really picked and got interesting for me.  I didn't really feel I could relate or connect with Aoife.  I had a hard time with her loving Rumple, and despising the Duke then doing a complete 180 after she had married the Duke. 

There are a few twists and turns as the readers discover the truth behind the connection between Rumple and the Duke.  Rumple claims to love Aoife, but denies her love and becomes somewhat controlling telling her the only way they could be together is if she sacrifices her family.  If the man knew her all these years and loved her he wouldn't make this kind of request.  I like that the book showed Aoife's struggle, but she doesn't cave to his demand.  Too often I see books where the girl gives in to whatever the guy wants simply to make him happy.  WRONG!

I am not sure how I feel about the book.  I admit I skipped a few pages just to get past some things that didn't seem to fit in with the story.  I have mixed feelings about and not sure what kind of rating I would give this novel.

Dragonmark

Illarion is a dragon, who was force to become human, and then again forced to serve those same humans as a mount during their battles.  Understandably he becomes bitter as he is separated from his dragonkin and everything he ever knew.  He then is forced into the fey realm where he looses the one woman he loved...


Where do I begin with this one.  I couldn't give a more detailed synopsis because I honestly did not finish the book and that saddens me greatly.  I have been a fan of Kenyon since Fantasy Lover and all the way through the other Dark Hunter novels, but this...this book was shear crap and not up to the standards that I have held Kenyon.  This is probably her worst novel yet.  It is LITERALLY copy and paste from other books.  There were chapters from Dragonsbane and Son of No One.  Oh you might think those sections were rewritten with Illarion's point of view WRONG!  He was barely in his own book!  I actually pulled my copies of Son of No One and Dragonsbane from my shelf and compared the three....word for word the same info from those books in this one.  It is not an original story so to speak.  Honestly how dare Kenyon do this to her readers.


I cannot in good conscience recommend this book to anyone.  I don't even want to rate the book, so 0 out of 5 because there was no effort in this.  Granted in the past we have seen scene from other stories in with other books like Acheron, but never has she copied and pasted verbatim.  The scenes were always rewritten from the view of Acheron or whatever hunter the book was about.  I couldn't be more disappointed in this author.  This may be the book that makes me no longer read her work.