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.

Book Review: Mortal Seductions by Allyson James

• Title: Mortal Seductions
• Author: Allyson James
• Type: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
• Genre: Gods, demi-gods and shifters, ménage
• Sub-genre: sexfest to save the woman they both love while screwing each other
• My Grade: DNF
• Rating: xxx
• Where Available: Everywhere books are sold

Allyson James is one of those authors that blows hot and cold for me.  I really liked Dragon Heat, didn’t like Double Trouble, liked The Black Dragon, now I don’t like Mortal Seduction.  Part of my problem was the story itself, but I could have gotten over the silliness of ancient gods and goddesses playing with us mere mortals.  What I couldn’t get over was the fact that 50 pages into the book the characters were as flat and lifeless as they could get.  I found this especially bizarre as I usually love shifter books of all types.  But honestly, Val was insipid, Leon – damn, I’m not sure what Leon was and Dimitri was just nearly as annoying as Val.  Val was supposedly some kind of schizoid vengeance goddess bound by Aphrodite to keep her from destroying the world.  Dimitri is a demi-god tiger shifter and bound to both Aphrodite and his father Apollo.  He and Val were lovers long ago before she was bound by Aphrodite.

Book Review: Four Dukes and a Devil by Cathy Maxwell, Elaine Fox, Tracy Anne Warren, etc.

• Title: Four Dukes and a Devil
• Author: Cathy Maxwell, Elaine Fox, Jeanene Frost, Sophia Nash, Tracey Anne Warren
• Type: Romance Anthology
• Genre: Regency, Contemporary, Paranormal
• Sub-genre: Long short stories
• My Grade: C (3.3*)
• Rating: PG-13
• Where Available: Everywhere books are sold

I’ve been reading a lot of collections and anthologies lately, something I usually avoid as there is no room for character or plot development.  But thanks to Paperback Swap, I’m well supplied with both multi-author and single author anthologies aplenty this summer.  When a short story or novella is extremely well done, it can be a gem.  Look at O. Henry’s work or Guy de Maupassant.  Can you even get out of grade school without reading The Ransom of Red Chief and The Gift of the Magi? Alas, romance and short stories are very tough to do, and this anthology is no exception to my basic Rule of ‘Meh’ on the genre – with one glaring mispositioned piece.

Erotic Romance and ebooks – May Roundup Part 1

Here we go again with the popular erotic romance roundup.  As usual, we have a mix of good and bad, and a first for me – one I found so offensive I couldn’t finish it.   It was an odd mixture this month.  Some are real ‘keepers’ and others forgettable.  This month might be 3 parts as it seems I read more novellas/short novels than usual and fewer full length books.

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A Little Less Conversation by Rhyannon Byrd (novella)

This traditional little contemporary love story is about two everyday kind of people, Mark Logan, a womanizing bar owner and Melanie Green, the owner of a travel agency directly across the street from the bar in Foggy Bottom Beach.  They’ve been staring at each other and smiling for 6 months now.  Or ‘mooning over her’ as Mark’s older brother Cain keeps teasing him.  For the first time in his life, Mark wants more than uncomplicated sex, he wants …….. more.  Of course he won’t get anything if he doesn’t at least ask her out.

Melanie Green has been fantasizing about Mark Logan since she moved to Foggy Bottom Beach six months ago.  Despite some offers, she has no desire to date anyone – except Mark Logan, the drool worthy bar owner.  She’s damned tired of being such a ‘good girl’, the ‘dopey geek’ and longs for a walk on the wild side, and Mark Logan has the ‘wild man’ reputation.  But why would a guy like that be interested in her?  But finally, FINALLY, he asks her out!!!!!