Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Book Review: Maggie for Hire

Book Review: Maggie for Hire by Kate Danley

From the "Back of the Book":

"When monsters appear in Los Angeles, Maggie MacKay is on the job. No one is better at hauling the creepy crawlies back where they belong. No one, that is, except her dad, who disappeared in the middle of an assignment.

Now an elf named Killian has shown up with a gig. Seems Maggie’s uncle teamed up with the forces of darkness to turn Earth into a vampire convenience store, serving bottomless refills on humans.

The only hope for survival lies in tracking down two magical objects and a secret that vanished with Maggie’s dad.

WARNING: This book contains cussing, brawling, and unladylike behavior. Proceed with caution"

 First off, let's discuss that warning that's part of the "back of the book" copy. There are a lot of f-bombs. Most people and things can't be described without a "colorful metaphor".

The plot is pretty decent, a straightforward mystery with a few unique twists to it. Most of the setting is standard fantasy set in an urban setting. The whole thing with the lions was kinda cool and unique (but I won't say more because spoilers.)

Really, Maggie for Hire reminded me a lot of Magic Lost, Trouble found, by Lisa Shearin. Both have wise-cracking female heroines, both have a fae companion, both are magic trackers, the list goes on. The plot in Magic Lost is slightly better, and there's a lot less f-bombs. (How many f-bombs are in Maggie for Hire? More f-bombs than are in this review (were they spelled out).)

The characters were fun to hang out with, but they had a kinda flat character arc. Maggie swears a teeny bit less at the end of the book. Her elven companion, he doesn't do much character-wise through the story, and at the end he's still the same as he was at the beginning.

Overall, I'd recommend this book if you like the urban fantasy with wise-cracking, butt-kicking heroes with fairy companions who swear a lot genre.

Three stars, I liked it. Iit's not the best I've read in the genre, but it did keep me turning the pages. Also, it's free on Amazon (at the time this review was written), so you can't go wrong there.



Monday, October 26, 2015

Book Review: Blood for Blood

Book Review: Blood for Blood by Ben Wolf


From the "back of the book":

"What if a vampire got saved? Calandra, an evangelist's daughter, is amazed to watch as Raven, a century-old vampire, develops faith. As Raven ceases to drink blood and becomes more human with each passing day, Calandra cannot deny her growing attraction to him even though she is being courted by another man. Raven's newfound salvation is both a relief and a burden, as he encounters multiple vampire taboos and must overcome them. Just when Raven begins to get the hang of his new lifestyle, Calandra is attacked by bandits. Will Raven revert to his old vampiric ways to save Calandra from certain death? Or will he rely on his faith in God to help him ransom Calandra from a new brand of evil more horrifying than he ever was as a vampire?"

Hmm... how to talk about this book without spoiling the plot... Well, a vampire comes to prey at a tent meeting (see what I did there ;) ) and, well, things progress from there as stated in the "back of the book" copy.

The closest book I can think of to this in terms of plot is "The Difference between Night and Day", by Melissa Lee. Both books central concept revolve around what happens when Christianity and Vampirisam clash. Night and Day, however, is paranormal romance, while Blood for Blood is philosophical action/adventure.

The characters are well-rounded, and fun to hang out with (well, except one, who's a jerk and does something really, really, really, really stupid... but that's getting into spoilers.)

Some readers are likely to complain that the book is too preachy, but I think it flows well with the story. It's set in the 1800's when tent meeting revivals were sweeping the nation, and one of the main characters is a preacher. There is a lot of theological content, but given the book's premise, that's to be expected, and it's done in a consistent way that blends with the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story. Four stars!


Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Halloween is for... a free vampire book!

Halloween is for... a free vampire book!

Vampires have a favorite spooky creature for quite a while. So, it's appropriate that, just in time for Halloween, my friend Ben Wolf has put up his award-winning vampire novel, Blood for Blood, on sale for 99 cents this week!

Did I mention you can also win a free paperback copy?

But first, about the book (as always, I'll start you out with the "back of the book" copy:)

"What if a vampire got saved?

Calandra, an evangelist's daughter, is amazed to watch as Raven, a century-old vampire, develops faith. As Raven ceases to drink blood and becomes more human with each passing day, Calandra cannot deny her growing attraction to him even though she is being courted by another man.

Raven's newfound salvation is both a relief and a burden, as he encounters multiple vampire taboos and must overcome them. Just when Raven begins to get the hang of his new lifestyle, Calandra is attacked by bandits.

Will Raven revert to his old vampiric ways to save Calandra from certain death? Or will he rely on his faith in God to help him ransom Calandra from a new brand of evil more horrifying than he ever was as a vampire?"

(Note: I haven't read this yet. I have a copy, and am going to read it this week, so stay tuned for a review coming soon.)

You can buy the e-book version here. Also, make sure to check out Ben's facebook page.

To win the free paper-back version, comment with your favorite vampire story, be it a book, movie, or other. (The winner will be chosen from a pool of entries from this, and other entries from the book promotion.)

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Book Review: Song of the Wren Falcon

Today's Book Review: Song of the Wren Falcon, by Mary Ruth Pursselley

From the "back of the book":

"Orienne Seritan is a loyal Adelfian who wants nothing more than peace for her country and a life free from the darkness and violence of war. But when the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy entangles her life and the fates of those she loves with the destiny of an embittered traitor, she finds herself being dragged even deeper into the darkness.

Enemies are pouring over her nation’s borders. People she loves are dying. The cryptic prophecy offers no clues as to who will be left standing at its end...nor does it disclose the magnitude of the role that Orienne is destined to play."


Orienne pulled me in right away. Her eyes change color depending on her emotions, and no one else's do. At first, the plot is fairly standard fantasy, but the characters and their relationships keep it interesting and engaging.

About a half to two-thirds of the way in, the plot takes a turn in a way that I've never seen before. Without revealing too much, one of the themes is forgiveness and redemption, and how the characters react to and deal with that.
Some might say it's not realistic. I disagree, I think it just feels that way because we don't often explore themes of forgiveness for a character that doesn't deserve it.

In terms of world building and plot, I'd give the book three stars -- everything's well done, just generic. In terms of characters and relationships I'd give it four and a half stars, and five for theme. So, overall....

Four stars! I'm looking forward to book two, and seeing how the characters deal with the fall-out from the events of this book.