My Holiday TBR Pile #2

Even as you read this I will be taking to the air (barring any delays!) and heading across the pond to Toronto for 10 days! I'm visiting family mostly but I am looking forward to a nice long break away from work. I haven't had two weeks away from work for over 5 years so I figure I deserve it now especially after the stressful recent year!

However, even though most of my holiday will be spent with family and sightseeing, I am hoping to squeeze in a few books. As ever I will be taking my kindle so I'll have a choice of books to read...but these are the ones that are top of my mental TBR pile for Canada...

Stone Maiden - Ann Aguirre
I love Ann's UF series staring Corine Solomon so I'm hoping this early fantasy story will be as intriguing and interesting. I certainly haven't heard much about it from elsewhere but I trust Ann's writing!

666 Park Avenue - Gabriella Pierce
I know a TV series was made based on the books but was cancelled quickly. I've never seen it, but the books look like quite short reads with a bit of paranormal thrown in so I'm up for trying it!

Boneshaker – Cherie Priest

I meant to read this in Portugal earlier in the year but never quite got around to it. Still Steampunk has been missing from the blog for a while so I think it's time to re-introduce it!

Devil's Consort - Anne O'Brien

I like historical fiction and the recent BBC drama series The White Queen has ignited a need for some historical reading! Okay, this is a different time period from the White Queen but I think it will be a intriguing read!

Life of Pi - Yann Martel

Another modern classic I seem to avoided so far - but to be honest until I saw clips for the film it never appealed to me!

So that's what I'm planning on reading - however, who knows what my mood will mean I'll end up reading - if in fact I do much reading at all! What books would you guys recommend for a city break adventure..?

Throwback Thursdays #96 - Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs

This is a great feature that Melissa at My World...in words and pictures has been doing for a while which looks at those wonderful books that are ALREADY on my shelves that we haven't got round to reading yet.

Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs - Molly Harper

Publisher: Pocket Star

Maybe it was the Shenanigans gift certificate that put her over the edge. When children's librarian and self-professed nice girl Jane Jameson is fired by her beastly boss and handed twenty-five dollars in potato skins instead of a severance check, she goes on a bender that's sure to become Half Moon Hollow legend. On her way home, she's mistaken for a deer, shot, and left for dead. And thanks to the mysterious stranger she met while chugging neon-colored cocktails, she wakes up with a decidedly unladylike thirst for blood.Jane is now the latest recipient of a gift basket from the Newly Undead Welcoming Committee, and her life-after-lifestyle is taking some getting used to. Her recently deceased favorite aunt is now her ghostly roommate. She has to fake breathing and endure daytime hours to avoid coming out of the coffin to her family. She's forced to forgo her favorite down-home Southern cooking for bags of O negative. Her relationship with her sexy, mercurial vampire sire keeps running hot and cold. And if all that wasn't enough, it looks like someone in Half Moon Hollow is trying to frame her for a series of vampire murders. What's a nice undead girl to do?

This is the fourth and final Paranormal Book this month which has been sitting on my shelves gaining a deep layer of dust! I picked this up after reading a certain Mel rave about it and never actually opened it. It sounds like a lot of fun though - I like romances that are fun as well as hot!

Next week you guys get to decide which PR I should read so get your thinking caps on...if you can find them! 

XO (Kathryn Dance #3) Review

XO (Kathryn Dance #3)

Jeffery Deaver

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Kayleigh Towne is a beautiful and successful singer-songwriter, and Edwin Sharp is her biggest fan. When she replies to one of his fan letters with 'XO', Edwin is convinced she loves him, and that her latest hit song 'Your Shadow' was written for him. Nothing Kayleigh or her lawyers can say persuades him otherwise. Then the singer gets an anonymous phone call; it's the first verse of 'Your Shadow' playing. Soon after, one of the crew is horribly murdered. Kayleigh's friend Kathryn Dance, a special agent with the California Bureau of Investigation, knows that stalking crimes are not one-off occurrences, and, sure enough, more verses of the song are played as warnings of death to follow. With a little help from forensic criminalist Lincolyn Rhyme, Dance must use her kinesic and investigative skills in an attempt to find the killer before more people die. 

This month I’ve really been bouncing around between genres with chick-lit, teen, fantasy and literature all taking some time alongside my usually UF reads. This is my crime novel for the month and I have to confess I like Jeffery Deaver’s books a lot. To my mind he invented CSI with Lincoln Rhyme years before Grissom entered the room. This is the third book with Kathryn Dance as the main investigator and Kathryn rather than a forensic expert is a kinesics expert – she can read body language and what people say to see if they are lying or telling the truth.

This time Kathryn is taking a few days off from work and meeting up an old friend, famous country singer, Kayleigh Sharp. However, Kayleigh has problems in the form of a stalker and when one of her road crew and an ex is killed, it looks like Kathryn’s vacation may turn into a bit of a working holiday...

Kathryn ends up working with the local police force in order to figure out what her stalker will do next. I really enjoyed the initial confrontations between the local cops and Kathryn – there are some amusing power plays and the differences in the type of investigation each would run. Kathryn’s interrogations are intriguing to read and you don’t know until after what she got out of the Q&A session which adds extra tension. There are plenty of twists and turns here as red herrings and suspicious character abound.

There are a couple of deceptive endings – where it seems as if the case has been wrapped up but the number of pages left to go suggest otherwise – and made the twist seem less of a surprise. However, this was a fun read with plenty to get you thinking and attempting to work it out yourself. I would love to see these in a film – it feels quite cinematic at times with the local area and locations well described and given character of their own. Added to which are some ongoing issues of Kathryn’s personal life and there is a nice balance between character and plot which many books miss. I really enjoyed the whole journey and still think Jeffery Deaver is one step ahead of many in this genre!

Recommended for fans of Patricia Cornwall and James Patterson. 8 out of 10 

Seraphina Review

Seraphina

Rachel Hartman

Publisher: Corgi

Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high. Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.

Seraphina is a talented musician at the royal court, but she has a secret that should never be told – her mother was a dragon. Growing tensions between humans and dragons mean she gets caught up in political issues, especially when the royal prince is murdered and all suspicions point to dragons as the culprit. Did dragons kill him? Will the peace last? And what if it doesn’t...?

Seraphina is a fantastic character – self-contained by necessity, but brave and smart. She understands both sides of the conflict but is hidden from both. Her growing friendship with the second heir, Princess Glisselda is fun and yet very serious as Seraphina almost incidentally starts to show her how to be more open to other ideas. Prince Lucien is a intriguing character and the relationship between the two of them is realistic and filled with difficulties. And then there are the dragons...  

Typically shapeshifting dragons are portrayed as humans with temper issues (okay – I’m grossly generalising but you get the idea). What I loved about Seraphina was the portrayal of the dragons as a truly alien species – with emotions thought to be common and unworthy of them. However, when in human form they struggle with understanding heir new bodies and the thoughts and feelings this brings. It asks some interesting questions about how much our bodies shape our thoughts and actions verses how much is our minds and spirits.

In total this is a complex and layered story with a history and (hopefully!) a future that will entertain and amuse. There is a murder mystery, complicated political tensions, dragon fights, music, family secrets and dysfunction with just a slight scent of romance. I was pulled in from the beginning and the story never goes for easy or simple making this one of the best YA fantasy offerings out there! Highly recommended!

Recommended for fans of Sarah J Maas & Rae Carson. 9 out of 10 

My Book Haul / Showcase Sunday

This is Books, Biscuits and Tea's Showcase Sunday where I share my lovely book hauls each week. Have a look back at Vicki's link up to see what everyone is up too!

Less than a week now until I head for Canada for a couple of weeks. I'm desperately trying to put together enough interesting reviews and posts to keep you all going once I jet off - its exhausting! So this week I read XO by Jeffery Deaver - an entertaining crime novel with plenty of twists and turns, then I raced through Kitty In The Underworld by Carrie Vaughn and finally I enjoyed The Woken Gods by Gwenda Bond.

It was a bit of a bumper week this week with a big giveaway win which had me dancing around the room! Plus a couple of request were accepted on Netgalley so I didn't do too badly this week!

For Review

Resist (Breathe #2) - Sarah Crossan

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Resistance to the Pod Leadership has come apart. The Grove has been destroyed but so has the Pod Minister. Quinn, Bea and Alina separately must embark on a perilous journey across the planet's dead landscape in search of the rumoured resistance base Sequoia. Meanwhile the Pod Minister has been succeeded by his capricious daughter. Her brother, Ronan, is supposed to advise her, but his doubts about the regime lead to him being sent out of the Pod in search of Quinn. In a world in which the human race is adapting to survive with little air, the stakes are high.

I loved Breathe last year so I am intrigued to see where this sequel will take the story!

Dying Is My Business - Nicholas Kaufmann

Publisher: St Martins

Given his line of work in the employ of a psychotic Brooklyn crime boss, Trent finds himself on the wrong end of too many bullets. Yet each time he’s killed, he wakes a few minutes later completely healed of his wounds but with no memory of his past identity. What’s worse, each time he cheats death someone else dies in his place. Sent to steal an antique box from some squatters in an abandoned warehouse near the West Side Highway, Trent soon finds himself stumbling into an age-old struggle between the forces of good and evil, revealing a secret world where dangerous magic turns people into inhuman monstrosities, where impossible creatures hide in plain sight, and where the line between the living and the dead is never quite clear. And when the mysterious box is opened, he discovers he has only twenty-four hours to save New York City from certain destruction.

I requested this as it looked like a cool Urban Fantasy - good vs. evil, a hero with shades of grey, New York - lets hope it is as good as it sounds!

Won

Exit Kingdom - Aiden Bell

Publisher: Tor

In a world where the undead outnumber the living, Moses Todd roams the post-apocalyptic plains of America. His reprobate brother, Abraham — his only companion — has known little else. Together, they journey because they have to; because they have nowhere to go, and no one to answer to other than themselves. 
Traveling the bloody wastelands of this ruined world, Moses is looking for a kernel of truth, and a reason to keep going. And a chance encounter presents him with the Vestal Amata, a beguiling and mysterious woman who may hold the key to salvation. But he is not the only one seeking the Vestal. For the Vestal has a gift: a gift that might help save what is left of humanity. And it may take everything he has to free her from the clutches of those who most desire her

I won this from the wonderful Tor Blog (go have a look as they have some great posts!). I like zombie books although I haven't read one for a while. Still it's not long until October and I might try some seasonal reading then! 

I was also lucky enough to win the British Book Challenge prize pack for July from Sarah over at Feeling Fictional and it was a MEGA pack. I'm not going to put in the summary for each one as it would this post as long as the Eiffel Tower is tall! Is it any wonder I was dancing when the box arrived! The books are...

Burn Mark by Laura Powell

Witch Fire by Laura Powell

The Disgrace of Kitty Grey by Mary Hooper

Breathing Underwater by Julia Green

Drawing with Light by Julia Green

Bringing the Summer by Julia Green

This Northern Sky by Julia Green

Winter Damage by Natasha Carthew

Dead Time by Anne Cassidy

Killing Rachel by Anne Cassidy

Anthem for Jackson Dawes by Celia Bryce

Hostage 3 by Nick Lake

In Darkness by Nick Lake

The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan

Breathe by Sarah Crossan

The Wall by William Sutcliffe

So what have you picked up this week...?

Guest Review: Grave Mercy

My cinema buddy, Sarah has popped again to share her thoughts on ninja assassin nuns...and if that doesn't intrigue you, nothing will!

Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1)
Robin LaFevers

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others. 
Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

Whilst I love my current office job, it has seriously impinged on my reading levels in the last 18 months.  Previously, I would get through a book in around 3 days.  Now?  Only one every 6 days.  This means that I am not as much help to Mel when it comes to doing reviews as I used to be, although it does mean that I try my very best to only read books I think I’m really going to enjoy, rather than a lot of ‘oh, I’ll give it a go’ books.  I thought that Grave Mercy looked a book right up my street – thankfully, I was right. 

The premise is not a vastly original one – one character has a horrid childhood, is saved by a seemingly well-meaning group who train them in their field of expertise (in this case, assassination), said character is sent out to dispatch a mark, and instead sparks fly.  However, when the horrid childhood is brought about by a failed attempt at abortion, the well-meaning group is a convent for the training of assassin nuns, and the intended mark is the bastard half-brother to the ruling Duchess it all becomes rather more than un-original!

Our heroine is Ismae, our hero Duval, and, unlike in many fantasy novel romances, both are strong-willed, untrusting and capable of playing the game whilst notching a crossbow.  It was also a very pleasant change to read about two people falling in love with the other’s personality, not their physical appearance.  At no point is either character described as beautiful/handsome/striking/lovely etc etc, instead they both appear to be, well, normal!  On a good day, they scrub up well, on a bad day, they don’t.  A very satisfying novel for us average-lookers! 

Despite doing History A-Level, my knowledge of French history is extremely limited, so I have to admit to having no idea whether or not the events portrayed in Grave Mercy are accurate.  This does mean, however, that I could enjoy the political machinations as they were described, and without bias.  Add to this an alternative take on the subject of Gods that leaves many a question unanswered and many an avenue to be explored, and I am gagging to get my hands on book two in the series.

In short, if you like your romances realistic, your fantasy historical, and your nuns to be assassins, then I defy you to not enjoy Grave Mercy.  One for fans of Naomi Novik and Maria Snyder, 8.5 out of 10.

Throwback Thursdays #95 - Sleeping With The Fishes

This is a great feature that Melissa at My World...in words and pictures has been doing for a while which looks at those wonderful books that are ALREADY on my shelves that we haven't got round to reading yet..

Sleeping With The Fishes - MaryJanice Davidson

Publisher: Piatkus

Fred is not your ordinary mermaid. She's not blonde. She's not buxom. And she's definitely not perky. In fact, Fred can be downright cranky. And it doesn't help matters that her hair is blue. 
While volunteering at the New England Aquarium, Fred learns that there are weird levels of toxins in the local seawater. A gorgeous marine biologist wants her help investigating. So does her merperson ruler, the High Prince of the Black Sea. You'd think it would be easy for a mermaid to get to the bottom of things. Think again.

Continuing my Paranormal Romance theme this month on Thursday is Sleeping With The Fishes. I've had mixed thoughts about mermaids in the past and I have to confess I got a little bored with the Queen Betsy Undead series also by MaryJanice Davidson but I remain hopeful that this new series with tick all the right boxes for mermaids and some romance!