Tour’s Books Blog

February 12, 2012

Recent Reads – A Mixed Bag of Brief Reviews

I’ve been hauling in deliveries from Amazon almost daily – like a true book addict looking for fix.  I have no defense, some authors are ‘must have’ even at hard cover prices, and many trade paperbacks would take forever to get through a book swapping site, then there’s the lure of the 4-for-3 promotion that extends to unreleased titles on pre-order.  What can I say, I’m just weak.

For the first time in awhile, I read some erotic romance.  With so many of the ebook authors moving from small press publishers to major print houses, I ended up trying 3 new to me authors at Siren.  Keep in mind, the current popularity of m/m, f/f, and BDSM books cuts way back on what I might read.  Not opposed to them and many good ones have m/m or BDSM elements, they just don’t have a lot of interest for me.  With what I did buy, the results were not encouraging.  In print, yet another anthology came up, meh!, another a cut average thanks to good wring – and there were two winners – Cipher by Moira Rogers and Jory Strong’s Inked Magic!  YEAH!!!!!   I had other winners too -  in the mystery category Boca Daze by Steven M. Forman, in the historical cozy category The Cocoa Conspiracy by Andrea Penrose, and in the noir Urban Fantasy category Aloha from Hell by Richard Kadrey.

First up are the Erotic Romance ebooks and print books:

  • Title:  Cowboy Commandos Seduce Their Woman (Wyoming Warriors 3)
  • Author: Paige Cameron
  • Type:  Contemporary erotic romance
  • Genre: ménage
  • My Grade: C (3.0*)
  • Rating:  NC-17
  • Length and price:  Short/ Category Novel – under 60,000+ $5.99
  • Where Available:  Available online at Siren
  • FTC Disclosure: purchased through an online publisher bookstore

I know, the title should have been a dead give away.  I bought it anyway.  Actually, it was the pick of the litter, even though the shopworn plot has one used so many times, by so many authors, it embodied trite.  Still, the characters had some personality and  for a short novel, it managed a beginning,  middle, and end.  The sex was OK, but not really pulse racing. (more…)

March 26, 2011

Short Reviews: New Release Paranormals, Romantic Suspense, Erotic Romance, Cozy Mystery

Talk about a disappointing group of books.  YEESH!  Not one really good one in the whole lot!

  • Title: Accidentally Catty
  • Author:  Dakota Cassidy
  • Type:  Humorous paranormal romance series
  • Genre:  A vet gets infected my a mountain lion that’s really a shifter and must deal with the paranormal reality
  • Sub-genre:  Normal human gets involved with vamps and shifters and an insane scientist
  • My Grade: C  (3.0*)
  • Rating:  PG-13
  • Length and price:  Full novel – about 100,000+ $8.50-10 with list of $15.00
  • Where Available:  Available at most bookstores
  • FTC Disclosure:  purchased from online bookstore (more…)

March 11, 2011

Short Reviews: Paranormal, Erotic Romance, Mystery, Action Thriller

My tastes in reading range far and wide, but mostly, I just like a good read.  Some here were, some weren’t.  Consider this a snapshot of my TBR mountain.

  • Title: Under Wraps
  • Author:  Hannah Jayne
  • Type:  Humorous paranormal with an UF edge and a mystery
  • Genre:  A magic resistant human gets involved in investigating a serial killing with a handsome detective
  • Sub-genre:  Quirky blend of ordinary woman in a paranormal world who’d love to kick ass, but lacks the instincts and skills
  • My Grade: C-  (2.8*)
  • Rating:  PG-13
  • Length and price:  Full novel – about 80,000+ $6.99
  • Where Available:  Available at most bookstores
  • FTC Disclosure:  purchased from online bookstore (more…)

January 10, 2011

eBooks: Three Recent Releases from Samhain

Well, I caught up on some ebook purchases from December and one new release this week in a series I really like, the Southern Arcana series by Moira Rogers, and really good and rather hot paranormal series that’s been a little uneven, but hit well on this entry.

  • Title: Deadlock (Southern Arcana Book #3)
  • Author:  Moira Rogers
  • Type:  Paranormal – shifters, witchcraft; Power struggles, family betrayal, and a second chance at love
  • Genre:  Werewolf society, internal political strife, involves the wrong person
  • Sub-genre:  An alpha werewolf is pushed to where he”ll risk all for change and progress
  • My Grade: B- (3.6*)
  • Rating:  PG-13 to NC-17
  • Length and price:  Full novel 90,000 words for $5.50 for ebook
  • Where Available:  Available online on the Samhain site
  • FTC Disclosure:  purchased from online bookstore (more…)

September 30, 2010

New Releases – Paranormal UF and 2 Siren Erotic Romance

We all know I do love my paranormal, especially shifter and UF and there have been some good and blah releases lately, plus a couple of erotic romances.  Here we go.  First is a favorite series of mine, the Elemental Assassin.

  • Title: Venom
  • Author:  Jennifer Estep
  • Type:  Paranormal Urban Fantasy
  • Genre:  #3 of the Gin Blanco Elemental Assassin series; murder and mayhem as Gin finds her youngest sister
  • Sub-genre:  Former assassin goes after the elemental who murdered her family
  • My Grade: B- (3.8*)
  • Rating:  PG-13
  • Length and price:  Full novel about 90,000+ words for $7.99
  • Where Available:  book available at any book store
  • FTC Disclosure:  purchased book from online bookseller (more…)

August 27, 2010

New Concepts Publishing – 3 Books; Erotica – Shapeshifter to Futuristic

New Concepts Press has several very reliable authors in their stable, the two I read most are Madelaine Montague and Kaitlyn O’Connor and this lot was no different.  NCP does not release books on any particular schedule, so it’s not a site I check on any regular schedule.

So here we go, with the Good, the Bad, and the Really Icky.

  • Title: Dragon’s Blood
  • Author:  Madelaine Montague
  • Type:  Paranormal erotic romance; ménage or polyandry
  • Genre: Dragons living hidden among Native Americans
  • Sub-genre:  FBI recruit finds herself pregnant and confused about a bear attack
  • My Grade: C+  (3.4*)
  • Rating:  NC-17 to X
  • Length and price:  Full novel about 80,000 words ebook for $5.99
  • Where Available:  book available at New Concepts Publishing book store online
  • FTC Disclosure:  purchased book from publisher’s website (more…)

August 8, 2010

Two August Samhain Releases: Paranormal and Romantic Suspense/Urban Fantasy

You mention Samhain and mostly readers immediately think, “Oh, smut.”  Or the more PC term, ‘romantica’.  Regardless, Samhain publishes a lots of mainstream romance,  paranormal romance, and romantic suspense, something often overlooked.  The two books I read this week were both in the mainstream class, though Isaiah’s Haven was steamy paranormal romance, Behind Blue Eyes was classic  romantic suspense with a paranormal twist bordering on urban fantasy.  Both were very good reads.

  • Title: Isaiah’s Haven
  • Author:  N. J. Walters
  • Type:  Paranormal steamy romance
  • Genre: Werewolves and hunters in Chicago; Legacy Series 2
  • Sub-genre:  Loner werewolf finds mate and her family
  • My Grade: B-  (3.7*)
  • Rating:  PG-13 to NC-17
  • Length and price:  Full novel about 80,000 words ebook for $5.50 discounts available
  • Where Available:  book available at Samhain book store online
  • FTC Disclosure:  purchased book from publisher’s website (more…)

July 30, 2010

Short Reviews: Two New eBook Releases from Samhain

  • Title: Bear Necessities
  • Author:  Dana Marie Bell
  • Type:  Erotic paranormal romance
  • Genre:  Shifters; expansion of the Halle Pumas series; bear meets mate
  • Sub-genre: Bear shifter falls for Outcast wolf when visiting cousin in Halle
  • My Grade: B+ (4.3*)
  • Rating:  NC-17 to X
  • Length and price:  Full novel; 80,000+ words for $5.50; some discounts available
  • Where Available:  ebook available at Samhain
  • FTC Disclosure:  purchased book from publisher’s website

I followed Ms Bell’s Halle Pumas series and generally liked her books, but with Bear Necessities she kicks it up a notch and writes a well balanced story with humor, suspense, and lots of hot sex.  It helps that I loved Alexander ‘Bunny’ Bunsen, the bear shifter hero and I really liked Tabby, his Outcast wolf mate. (more…)

July 29, 2010

3 Short Reviews: New Release Mystery, Erotic Paranormal, Erotic Romance

It’s a mixed bag this week, so see if anything appeals.

  • Title: Tomb With A View
  • Author:  Casey Daniels
  • Type:  Paranormal mystery
  • Genre: Amateur sleuth; Pepper Martin series; an obnoxious volunteer dies in the Garfield Memorial
  • Sub-genre: President Garfield helps Pepper Martin solve several crimes
  • My Grade: B- (3.7*)
  • Rating:  PG-13
  • Length and price:  Full novel; 90,000+ words for $7.99; some discounts available
  • Where Available:  book available at any book store
  • FTC Disclosure:  purchased book from online bookstore (more…)

June 13, 2010

More Super Short Reviews – All Genres

Moving right along, we have:

  • Title: Pretty in Ink
  • Author:  Karen E Olsen
  • Type:  Mystery
  • Genre: Amateur sleuth in Vegas
  • Sub-genre:  Tattoo artist gets involved in another murder
  • My Grade: B  (4.0*)
  • Rating:  PG-13
  • Length and price:  Full length novel; about 80,000+ words for $6.99
  • Where Available:  book available at at any book store; 4-for-3 program on Amazon
  • FTC Disclosure:  purchased book from online bookstore

I always like finding a worthwhile amateur sleuth/cozy that isn’t so contrived my eyes roll.  I so enjoyed The Missing Ink that I won in a book swap on Paperback Swap, I bought this book as soon as it was released and it went right to the top of the TBR pile.  I’m glad I did.  This sophomore outing for 30 something tattoo artist and high end shop owner, Brett Kavenaugh, is really worth the effort.  Karen E. Olsen is a journalist and mystery writer, and her training shows in her tight prose that moves the story surrounding the murder of a female impersonator and a missing broach at fast clip despite the convoluted plot.  On my list of ‘must read’ series. (more…)

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