Release Day Review: Accidentally Aphrodite by Dakota Cassidy

Accidentally Aphrodite
(The Accidentals #10)
Dakota Cassidy
Release: June 17, 2015

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Mythology buff Quinn Morris has always wanted to visit Greece, where her inner hardcore romantic envisioned proposing to her boyfriend. And she’s finally here—with her friend Ingrid. She might not have found love at the Parthenon, thanks to her cheating ex, but she has found big boobies…and swirly purple eyes…and sparkling skin. Oh, and Greek hottie Khristos, who claims to be descended from a goddess and swears Quinn’s the new Aphrodite.


With help from Khristos, and support from Ingrid’s employers—Nina, Wanda, and Marty—Quinn has to learn all the tricks of the matchmaking trade, STAT, lest she has her new friend Cupid sticking arrows in all the wrong places. All while dealing with her man-hating mother, guarding her own heart from Khristos, and protecting herself from an invisible foe who might want to snatch Quinn’s newfound powers from her—dead or alive.

Review:
I should probably confess that I am way behind in this series. I read the first two Accidental books from the library, but for some reason they didn't own book three. So, being a crazy person when it comes to series, I stopped after two. However, I did read Interview with an Accidental (see below) and I didn't have any trouble picking up eight books later with Aphrodite.

Quinn is a really relatable heroine. She's a mythology buff who works in a bookstore and takes night classes in art history. She's taking her dream vacation to Greece when she accidentally bites into a mythical golden apple and inherits the powers of Aphrodite. In Cassidy's pantheon, the goddess of love is primarily a matchmaker. She finds a couple and summons Cupid to shoot them with an arrow and cement their bond. So it's not the most natural job for someone who's just been through a bad break up.

Khristos is the son of the former Aphrodite and the guardian of the apple. His lapse led to Quinn finding the apple and all the shenanigans that ensue. He claims it's his duty as guardian to move in with Quinn and teach her to use her new powers. And that the gods could inflict punishments of mythological proportions if they don't do a good job. Despite that creepy-stalker-sounding introduction, I basically liked Khristos. He just didn't feel particularly ancient or Greek to me.

The book also started out slow for me. There's really not much external conflict, just Quinn working through her issues with relationships and her overbearing, man-hating mother. But I did like all the sweet, romantic moments where Quinn makes a match. And I thought the end was really exciting, with lots of mythological figures and a twist that I didn't see coming. Cassidy also had some interesting ideas about how the gods and goddesses have adapted to modern times.

I really love the little family that Nina, Marty and Wanda have built over the course of the series. They've welcomed vampires, werewolves, demons and now a goddess into the group. Carl the vegetarian zombie is quite possibly the cutest thing ever! I did miss seeing their actual families though. Updates on the previous couples are usually one of my favorite things in a PNR series. Husbands and children were mentioned, but none of them made an appearance.  I think I'm going to have to go back and read some of those earlier books to get more of this whole hilarious gang.

Recommended for fans of: mythology with a modern twist, funny PNR

ARC provided by the author

   

3 stars

 

 

 

If you haven't started the series yet, or you've gotten behind like me, check out Interview with an Accidental. It's free from all e-book vendors. (Or if you want to catch up the hard way, books 3-8 are on sale for less than $4 each through July.)

 

National bestselling author of The Accidental Dragon, Dakota Cassidy is puttin’ on her tiara, sharpening her fav hot pink pen, and kicking her feet up on the desk to ask the hard questions. Get the inside scoop on all the hot, sexy cast members in this free, uproariously funny interview with the girls of her Accidental series. Find out who’s doing what to whom and more, as Dakota hosts the interview of the decade!

Dear Readers, It’s been seven (seven!) years since the release of book one in my Accidentals series, dear readers, and now, on the cusp of releasing book ten (hold me!), I figured it was high time I put together something that would not only help new readers jump into the fray several books in, but also help me remember what I wrote way back when. (Hey, I ain’t gettin’ any younger, and my brain is stuffed full of makeup tips and reality TV trivia.)

So I called up my pals Nina, Marty and Wanda, who schlepped all the way out to my home in Oregon—with a few other fan-fave characters in tow, for Interview With an Accidental. During an intimate interview by moi, you can meet the ladies who have been mainstays in all of my Accidental books—if Nina lets anyone get a word in between all her, um…colorful commentary.

Grab a cocktail and enjoy a gabfest with the girls, as well as a bonus chapter from my next book, Accidentally Aphrodite—for the low, low price of free! That’s right. FREE! Consider it my way of saying thanks for keeping me company on these crazy Accidental adventures. May you join me for many more!     

 

Are you following us on Facebook?

Are you following Goldilox and the Three Weres on Facebook? (And do you have the notifications turned on?) If not, you might have missed some important announcements last week.

 

Goldilox is a featured Blogger at Coastal Magic Con again in 2016. She and the other bloggers are announcing the Featured Authors on Facebook throughout the month of June. So more reveals are still to come.

 

 

 Registration for Coastal Magic Con 2016 begins on July 1. For more details, click the CMC link at the top of the sidebar.

 

You can also follow us on Twitter or by using any of the links in our sidebar.

 

 

 

Read This F@!%ing Book 41

Welcome to a feature we're going to post on Mondays called:

Read This F@!%ing Book!

This is a feature for us to push our favorite reads that just aren't getting enough attention! 

We're also opening it up to anyone who would like to guest post. Do you have a book that you just LURVED but feel like it's not getting the play it deserves? Email us to let us know and we'd be THRILLED to have you post about it here! Especially if its something we haven't reviewed yet - that's even better (but not necessary)!

If you're interested email: Goldilox3weres@hotmail.com

or send us a message on Facebook.

  This week's post comes from our very own: 
Gretl!

Read This F@!%ing Book Post 41: The Generation V series by M.L. Brennan

Click Covers for Goodreads

 

I've been thinking about vampires lately. There's a certain new book out that people are saying will revive the genre, making all the old tropes new again. I love traditional vampire stories - they were really my first literary love. But I get much more excited about a book that does something completely new, throwing out the old tropes entirely. M.L. Brennan's Generation V series features an unlikely leading man and a completely original take on the vampire mythos.

 

Holding Out for a Hero

Fortitude Scott is about as far from a typical Alpha male vampire hero as you can get. He doesn't have super strength or super speed or super anything-at-all, really. What he does have is an advanced degree from an Ivy League school in a mostly useless subject. (He's a lot the rest of us liberal arts majors still trying to decide what to be when we grow up.) He drives a beat up old car and works at dead end jobs, shunning his wealthy family's assistance as much as possible.

 

But coming from the first family of  New England's supernaturals still garners him attention and he ends up needing a bodyguard. His mother hires Suzume, a kitsune and one of my favorite characters EVER, to protect him. True to his anything-but-badass nature Fort doesn't really have a problem hiding behind a woman, though they become more like partners as the series progresses. By the third book, Fort's starting to grow in to his hero status and earning respect in the supe community, but he's still a long way from the typical vampire leading man. (Except for the brooding part - he's definitely got that down.)

 

Bela Legosi's Dead

But where Brennan really breaks the vampire mold is with her totally unique mythos. (Although the older Brennan's vampires get, the more they resemble the vampire stereotype of  fanged, light sensitive blood drinkers.) These vampires are born, not made. Fort is the youngest of three children and is experiencing something like vampire puberty, just starting to come in to his powers.  The mechanism by which that happens is shocking, both in the way it's revealed and in the fact that it's unlike anything I've seen before. Fort learns how it works, "the vampire birds and bees," right along with the readers over the course of the series. I've been completely fascinated and a little bit horrified watching it all come together.

 

I continue to be impressed by the originality of Brennan's supernatural society as well. The vampires are at the top of the food chain, which is not really new, with Fort's mother acting as a supernatural Donna Corleone. But Brennan also puts her unique spin on shifters and witches, brings in some underutilized creatures like the kitsune, and does Fae like you've never seen them before. The more I learn about these creatures and their politics, the more I love this world.

 

Are you interested in starting this series? Did we persuade you to add it to your TBR mountain? Or have you read it and love it as much as I do? Let us know in the comments below!

 

Book four in the series, Dark Ascension, is out in August so there's just enough time to catch up on Generation V. (Also note that the series was originally called American Vampire, so you might see it listed either way.) Order the first three books in the series here.

 

 

 

Review: The Last True Vampire by Kate Baxter

The Last True Vampire
(Last True Vampire #1)
Kate Baxter
Release: June 2, 2015
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As Michael’s eyes lit on a female not twenty feet away, he knew without a doubt that it was her blood that called to him and her scent that had awakened him.This female had tethered his soul and returned it to him.

Soul Survivor

He is the last of his race. The one true king of the vampires. Michael Aristov roams the nightclubs of L.A. after dark, haunted by his past and driven by his hunger. The last of the Ancient Ones, he alone has survived the destruction of his race at the hands of the slayers. Now he is forced to hunt and feed like a common vampire, a creature of lust. Nothing in this world can fulfill his needs…until he meets a woman who’s everything he’s ever wanted. And more.

Sweet Salvation

Her name is Claire Thompson. Her blood is so sweet, so intoxicating—the smell alone draws Michael to her like a moth to the flame. Sly, sexy, and seductive, Claire seems to be the only mortal who can satisfy his craving and seal his fate…forever. Can she be trusted? From their very first kiss, the last true vampire sweeps Claire into a world in which darkness rules desire—and where falling in love is the greatest danger of all…

Review by Rose Red:

I'm going to be honest, this book wasn't on my radar until I saw Chelsea from VBC raving about it. I enjoyed the book and I think it's a great start to a new paranormal romance series! I just have a couple of problems with it. First, let's discuss what I liked!

The world building was excellent! It was well done and set up a foundation that has lots of room to be expanded upon as the series progresses. The world kind of felt like a mash up of all my favorite vampire books all rolled into one. It should have been off-putting but it worked. I loved how the dhampires and vampire are so intertwined in this world! That might not sound so original but the reason for their dependence on each other was so unique! I loved it!
 
As fascinating as I found the world, the main characters were not quite as interesting. I found myself liking the secondary characters a lot more than the main ones and I am still a bit undecided about how I feel about the heroine. I liked that Claire is a hustler and that she does what she knows she has to do to survive. She has a spine made of steel when she wants it to be. I also loved that she had taken her young neighbor under her wing because her situation reminded her of her own growing up. That being said, Claire was both oblivious to the danger of the world she'd been pulled into (despite being repeatedly told about it) and too accepting of other things. She's a hustler so she should know about self-preservation. But she doesn't act like the street smart hustler she should be when she doesn't accept the danger she's been put into especially after one scene that should have made it clear what the situation was. As I said, I'm still on the fence about how I feel about her.
 
As for the hero, Michael/Mikhail was broody, possessive, controlling, and he just plain handled Claire all wrong at the beginning. In my opinion, he's the character that did the most growth in this book. He went from mopey last vampire to a real leader by the end of the book. He still possessive and controlling by the end but it's not as bad as at the first. It took a while for me to like the romance between the two main characters but I have to say the sex scenes were pretty hot and a bit on the rough side which totally worked with how the relationship was set up.

Now, let's talk about the writing. The narrative felt like it was jumping around and it made things confusing. The transitions between scenes need a little work. It felt like we were missing significant gaps in the story. In a couple of places, I was thrown out of the story because the transition was to abrupt to the next scene. One of biggest problems was that there was too much repetition during the inner dialogues of both lead characters. I hate when the same thing is pointed out over and over and over again in a book. It bored the heck out of me. I promise I got it the first time.
 
Although, I rolled my eyes at several parts as I was reading but I ended up still liking the story. I'll definitely be grabbing the second book because I want to see where this world goes. It definitely has the potential to become a great series.

Recommended for fans of: Larissa Ione's Demonica series and Lyndsay Sands' Argeneau Vampire series.

An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

  

  3 / 5 Stars

Release Day Review: The Shadow Revolution by Clay and Susan Griffith

The Shadow Revolution
(Crown & Key #1)
Clay and Susan Griffith
Release: June 2, 2015
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A thrilling new Victorian-era urban fantasy for fans of Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid Chronicles, the Showtime series Penny Dreadful, and the Sherlock Holmes movies featuring Robert Downey, Jr.
 
They are the realm’s last, best defense against supernatural evil. But they’re going to need a lot more silver.
 
As fog descends, obscuring the gas lamps of Victorian London, werewolves prowl the shadows of back alleys. But they have infiltrated the inner circles of upper-crust society as well. Only a handful of specially gifted practitioners are equipped to battle the beasts. Among them are the roguish Simon Archer, who conceals his powers as a spell-casting scribe behind the smooth veneer of a dashing playboy; his layabout mentor, Nick Barker, who prefers a good pub to thrilling heroics; and the self-possessed alchemist Kate Anstruther, who is equally at home in a ballroom as she is on a battlefield.

After a lycanthrope targets Kate’s vulnerable younger sister, the three join forces with fierce Scottish monster-hunter Malcolm MacFarlane—but quickly discover they’re dealing with a threat far greater than anything they ever imagined.

Review by Rose Red:

The Shadow Revolution is a fast-paced, action-packed book that can be classified as a combination of Gaslight Fantasy, Steampunk, and Urban Fantasy with a dash of Horror. As the synopsis says, it will most certainly appeal to fans of Penny Dreadful, and the Sherlock Holmes movies starring Robert Downey, Jr. I’ve never seen Penny Dreadful but I can see why it was compared to Downey’s Sherlock. It has the same fun, flashy style it did plus lots of fun steampunk gadgets. There’s not a lot of substance to this book. It’s just a plain fun read and we all need those some days. At least, I do. I really enjoyed this book a lot, though it was somewhat difficult to get past a couple of things that hindered my enjoyment.

The first forty pages or so of this book nearly made me give up. I think part of the reason this book was so hard for me to get into is that we get thrown right into the middle of this world with very little introduction to it. It took me those forty pages to work through my confusion. Once I got through them though, I couldn’t stop reading!

The plot was so full of action that there was no lull in the story. It was such a fun read! The worldbuilding is subtle and tended to be thrown into the story in chunks and not fed to us a little at a time. I loved the dark, Victorian-esque feel of this world and it worked awesome with the plot. I’ll be honest; the authors’ writing style took some getting used to and wasn’t as tight as I’ve become accustomed to in other books. That being said, the plot and the characters worked together in such a way that the weakness in the writing and the hard to get into first forty pages were things that became easy to overlook as I read.

One of the best things outside of the story in the book for me was the characters and their interactions with each other! They were written is such a way that they were flawed and yet they were strong. This applied to both the female and male characters. I loved that the relationship emphasis in this book was on the relationships between family and friends and not lovers. We’re first introduced to Simon who is not what he seems despite his lovable playboy manner. He is a little self-centered but he has a good heart. I loved that he had a unique type of magic and I was intrigued as we learned more about his power. I found it hilarious that his partner-in-crime is the magician equivalent of a Jack-of-all-trades. I liked the relationship between Nick and Simon, but I’ll admit that Nick was not my favorite character. Don’t get me wrong! I like him! I just like the others more like Malcolm. I loved this grumpy, Scottish man! His role in the story had me intrigued from the moment he was introduced.

I loved the women in this book so much! They’re strong and have talents outside the womanly arts. They’re intelligent and I loved that they could hold their own in a fight! I really liked Kate’s character! She’s a brilliant alchemist and is okay not being an active member of society. She tended to be a little overbearing in parts but she was not afraid to do what she needed to do. She especially went to great lengths to take care of her sister, Imogen. The character that stole my heart from the first page we met her was Penny! I loved that she was an engineer with all sorts of steampunk devices that she had invented. I wish that she had had more page time in this book that she did.

My favorite part of this was the banter between the characters. Everyone spoke in a manner that seemed appropriate for high society people, which is something a lot of authors don’t get right. Most of the characters especially Simon were witty. Simon was also quite hilarious at times with his quips and one-liners. I literally laughed out loud several times while reading this book and that was not something I was expecting to do. There is some romance in the story, but it is the slow burning type that I love. I will say that I totally ship the romance pairings we see developing in this book. I was afraid from the synopsis of the book that there was going to be a love triangle but luckily that was not the case.

The magic system was interesting but we didn’t learn much about it in this book. I’m hoping we’ll learn more about it in the next installments of this series. I would like to know more about scribes and how they differ from other kinds of magicians.

In any case, as I said, I enjoyed this book a lot despite the rocky start I had. This was a highly entertaining steampunk/paranormal romp. There were werewolves, druid magic, steampunk gadgets, and alchemy in this story all wrapped up in a mystery. It was an incredibly fun read! This was a great first book and an excellent start to what I think will be a fun series to read. I can’t wait to read the next book in the story! I’m intrigued to see where they’re going to go with the story!

Recommended for fans of: 
The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett
His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne

An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

    

  4 / 5 Stars

June Releases: Buy, Borrow or Beg?

Buy, Borrow or Beg is our monthly new release feature. Each of the co-bloggers is going to tell you which books they're most excited about and whether you should buy - the ones we preordered or plan to stand in line for, borrow - the ones we'll be stalking at the library, or beg - the ones we've gotten for free as review copies or prizes that you'll be begging us to tell you about. Let us know what you're eagerly awaiting this month in the comments.

Buy

Misery's Way by J.C. Daniels
Releases June 22 Goodreads Amazon
This novella is set in the same world as Daniels's Kit Colbana books, but features completely different characters. I'm excited to learn about other types of non-humans and see what other parts of the country look like.

Trailer Park Fae (Gallow and Ragged #1) by Lilith Saintcrow
Releases June 23 Goodreads Amazon
Often, Fae living in the human world are disguised as politicians and CEOs, living luxurious, influential lives but Saintcrow gives us Fae exiles hanging out in biker bars and trailer parks. And the hero has tattoos that become weapons. This sounds so good!

Borrow

Shards of Hope (Psy-Changeling #14) by Nalini Singh
Releases June 2 Goodreads Amazon
The last two Psy-Changeling books have been excellent and I'm hearing that Shards of Hope is just as good. This is really only a "borrow" for me because it releases in hard cover. I own most of the series, and will probably buy it when the paperback comes out. For now I'm 27th on the library wait list.


Pure Blooded (Jessica McClain #5) by Amanda Carlson
Releases June 9 Goodreads Amazon
The first two books in this series were excellent, but I  haven't loved books three and four. I've heard some good things about Pure Blooded though, and I'm not giving up on the series yet.

Beg

The Vampire's Mail Order Bride (Nocturne Falls #1) by Kristen Painter
Releases June 1 Goodreads Amazon
Set in a town where every day is Halloween, this is a lighter PNR that should appeal to fans Molly Harper's Half Moon Hollow books. Nocturne Falls features a wide variety of supernatural creatures and a fun setting. I'm kind of sad that I can't really live there.


The Clockwork Crown (The Clockwork Dagger #2) by Beth Cato
Releases June 9 Goodreads Amazon
The conclusion of Octavia and Alonzo's adventure takes them to many different parts of their world and delves in to much more of the history and politics.

Buy

The Vampire's Mail Order Bride (Nocturne Falls #1) by Kristen Painter
Releases June 1 Goodreads Amazon
I am enthralled with the premise behind this book! I mean how could I not like a book that has a town where the supernatural don't hide and a 400 year old vampire getting a mail order bride! I'm so excited to read this!

Soul Scorched (Dark Kings #6) by Donna Grant
Releases June 23 Goodreads Amazon
Donna Grant plus dragon shifters equals an automatic book buy for me. I've loved the first books in this series and I'm so excited that we're getting Warrick's story in this installment. I can't wait to find out what happens in this book! The last one was amazing!

Dream of You (Wait For You #4.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Releases June 23 Goodreads Amazon
I can't wait for this novella! We finally get to find out more about Reece's brother, Colton! He just happens to be a police officer too. In this story, he's entrusted with the safety of Abby Erickson who is a witness to a crime. Romance and mystery is always a good combo in my book! These books are crack reads for me. I never want to put them down and I read them in one sitting. I'm so ready to read more in this series!

Borrow

Hidden Huntress (The Malediction Trilogy #2) by Danielle L. Jensen
Releases June 2 Goodreads Amazon
I own the first book in this trilogy and I've heard nothing but excellent things about it! I'm planning on getting this from my library next month so I can marathon both books in the series so far. I'm intrigued by the whole premise of these books. A farm girl gets kidnapped and forced to marry a troll prince! Trolls are a paranormal creature that I haven't seen much in the books I've read. Let alone have one as a love interest. I can't wait to read this!

Trailer Park Fae (Gallow and Ragged #1) by Lilith Saintcrow
Releases June 23 Goodreads Amazon
I admit that I have no clue what this book is about. I want to read it just because of the cover and the fact that it's by Lilith Saintcrow. That's all I need to know about it. :)

Beg

The Last True Vampire (Last True Vampire #1) by Kate Baxter
Releases June 2 Goodreads Amazon
I've already read an ARC of this book and I enjoyed it! The world is fascinating as well as the mythology. I found it to be a captivating read and I finished it in one sitting. My review will be up latter this week!

The Shadow Revolution (Crown & Key #1) by Clay and Susan Griffith
Releases June 9 Goodreads Amazon
I had SO much fun reading this ARC! This book was the perfect blend of gaslight fantasy, steampunk, and urban fantasy! The world is fascinating as is the magic system! And once the action got going, it didn't stop until the end of the book! My review will be up tomorrow!

The Clockwork Crown (The Clockwork Dagger #2) by Beth Cato
Releases June 9 Goodreads Amazon
This is one of my most anticipated books of 2015 as the first book was my favorite book of 2014. I loved it! Octavia's adventure continued in such a way that I was riveted by this book! My review will be up next week on this book's release day!

The Undying Legion (Crown & Key #2) by Clay and Susan Griffith
Releases June 30 Goodreads Amazon
I love that they are releasing this whole trilogy over the period of a couple months! We won't have to wait forever for book 3! I'm not going to say much about this book besides it's just as thrilling of a ride as the first book! If you like steampunk and urban fantasy with a dash of horror, you'll love these books!

Goldilox's Greatest Hits Volume 5

Goldlox's Greatest Hits is our new monthly wrap up feature. We'll recap our favorite books we've read this month and show you some of our favorite posts that you might have missed, as well as what's coming up next on Goldilox and the Three Weres.

Greatest Hits

 

Greatest Hits are our favorite reads from the month of May. Check out these 4 1/2 and 5 star reviews:

 

Beautiful Bombshell by Christina Lauren

Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews

Uprooted by Naomi Novick

Behind the Mask by Carolyn Crane

Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs

 

ICYMI

In Read This F-ing Book this month we recommended Patricia Briggs's underappreciated werewolves in the Alpha and Omega series, quirky small town romance in the Plum Orchard series from Dakota Cassidy, and new adult romance from Jennifer Armentrout in the Wait For You series.

 

And we gave it a new twist with Which F-ing Book Should I Read? Tell us about your favorite zombie stories and check out the comments for some great reader recommendations.

 

Look What I Found!

Did you know that Jennifer Estep has free short stories from the Elemental Assassin world on her website? Many are from the POVs of supporting characters like Finn.

 

I just finished Chloe Neill's The Veil and it's really good! If you don't have an ARC (neener neener) you can still read the first two chapters here.

 

Coming Soon

Rose Red's continuing her re-read reviews of Kate Daniels and Mercy Thompson, so watch for more from those all-time favorites.

 

Goldilox is a Featured Blogger at Coastal Magic Con again in 2016. She'll be revealing some of the Featured Authors on our Facebook page beginning on June 2.

 

 

Review: Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs

Blood Bound
(Mercy Thompson #2)
Patricia Briggs
Release: January 1, 2007
Goodreads Amazon

Under the rule of science, there are no witch burnings allowed, no water trials or public lynchings. In return, the average law-abiding, solid citizen has little to worry about from the things that go bump in the night. Sometimes I wish I was an average citizen...

Mechanic Mercy Thompson has friends in low places-and in dark ones. And now she owes one of them a favor. Since she can shapeshift at will, she agrees to act as some extra muscle when her vampire friend Stefan goes to deliver a message to another of his kind.

But this new vampire is hardly ordinary-and neither is the demon inside of him.

Review by Rose Red:

It doesn't matter how many times I reread Patricia Briggs's books, I can't help be drawn into them so much that I am oblivious to everything around me. There's a sort of magic of being lost in a 300 page book and the magic is strong in Briggs's Mercy Thompson series. To me this is Urban Fantasy at it’s best. Clever writing, action packed plot, great characters, witty dialogue and subtle romance, Blood Bound has it all. This book was just as good as the first one! I'm delighted that Briggs has made the mythology of the creatures that go bump in the night all her own. There are a lot of similarities to what other authors use but enough differences that the books are fun and engaging. Although, the villain in this book was a little scary.

In the first book, we're introduced to Mercy Thompson, a VW mechanic who is also 'walker,' which means that she can change into a coyote. Mercy is not really a kick-butt heroine. She's a very little fish in a very big pond. She knows that she has very little chance of taking on the vampires, werewolves, or Fae in her town. That doesn't mean that she's going to let that stop her. She's not preternaturally strong but she's smart and more than a little stubborn. Being a walker has given her other abilities that come more into play in this book.

Blood Bound starts with a bang. You can't help but wonder what trouble is coming Mercy's way when she gets a 3AM phone call from her vampire friend, Stefan, asking for a favor. Stefan needs her to go with him to witness a meeting with a vampire who has arrived in the Tri-Cities without permission of the local vampire seethe. Let's just say that the meeting did not go as expected as they find out that the vampire has a demon possessing his soul. Soon Mercy, Stefan, the werewolves, and the surrounding community find themselves dealing with an evil that's not afraid of the high body count it's amassing. The vampires and the werewolves tell Mercy to stay out of it. But when the ones she cares about are in danger, Mercy isn’t the kind of girl to sit on the sidelines and wait especially if she can do something about it.

As much as I love the action-packed plot, my favorite thing about this book was the characters. They are each so well developed and unique for such a large cast of characters. They all have their own roles and personalities and I love them all. Some I love to hate more than I actually love them. Mercy remains the snarky and awesome person she was in book one. I love that Adam has more screen time in this book! He may be a slightly overbearing Alpha but he's loyal and dependable and willing to do what he knows needs done. It helps that he's sexy as hell. Samuel is still a sweetheart and I love that he wormed his way into being Mercy's roommate even though he's not playing too nicely with Adam. Stefan, well, he may be a vampire but I find him equal parts scary and adorable. He drives his own version of the Mystery Machine, for heaven's sake. How can I not like him? Warren is still my favorite of Mercy's friends and I have much hope that him and Kyle will stay together. Hell, I'm even coming to like Ben. If you've read this series you know how big of a deal that is! I don't think I need go on, the characters in this series just rock.

I'm so glad that the romance comes to the foreground more in this book. Of course, it's moving along at a snail pace but it works well as they have great chemistry ensuring sparks are flying whenever Mercy is alone with either Adam or Samuel. The love triangle doesn't bother me like it does in some other books. I think because you can see why Mercy is confused. She trying to work through her old and yet very real feelings for Samuel at the same time she's trying to understand the complex emotions that she feels for Adam, the local Alpha. I'm not a reader who usually goes for love triangles in my books but this one doesn't feel like a triangle to me. It's more Mercy trying to make peace with her past and how that is going to shape the person she is now. I know who I want Mercy to end up with and that's all I'm going to say on the subject.

Overall, Mercy's world is getting a more interesting if not more dangerous. This world makes for one hell of a setting. And it makes this book (series really) such great read! If you like Urban Fantasy, kickass heroines, and lots of action wrapped in mystery, this is the book for you. Trust me. You'll love it!

    

  5 / 5 Stars!

My reviews of other books in this series:
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs
Night Broken by Patricia Briggs

Which F@!%ing Book Should I Read?

It's Monday, which is usually when we tell you to

But we're switching it up a little bit this week.

May is Zombie Awareness Month and it got me thinking that I really haven't read many zombie books. The ones I have read usually have an unusual take on the zombie mythos, rather than anything you might find on The Walking Dead. I loved Rachel Caine's Revivalist series, for example.

So this week I'm asking

Which F-ing Book should I read?

Here are some suggestions from my co-bloggers to get it started:

   

Recs From Rose Red:
I actually haven't read a lot of zombie books but I've loved the ones I have. My favorite has to be Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion. It's basically a zombie rom-com that I didn't know it was something I needed in my life until I read it. This book was cute and fun and it made me giggle in more than one spot. It was made into a movie so it's a great one to read the book then go see the movie.

If you want a zombie novel that is more thought provoking and less lighthearted, I'd recommend picking up Feed by Mira Grant (aka Seanan McGuire). This book is the first book in a trilogy that is equal parts a zombie apocalypse story, a political thriller, and a cautionary tale about the state of our modern media. The heroes are three bloggers who are dedicated to letting the masses know about the zombie outbreak that's occurring instead of letting them get eaten like the mainstream media is. It's delightfully campy and has several references to popular zombie movies. It's fantastic!

My final recommendation would be Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith. This book was a delightful twist on a classic story. I laughed so much while reading this book! Elizabeth Bennett has decided to vanquish the zombie hordes that have taken over Meryton. She just didn't plan on having to do it while exchanging barbs and banter with a certain Mr. Darcy. It's a fun and hilarious read!

Guidance from Goldilox:

Like Rose Red, I haven't read that many zombie books, but the ones I have read I've loved. Let's start with the White Trash Zombie series, which begins with My Life As A White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland. Rowland's zombies have all the typical zombie tropes: they eat brains, they rot away if they don'y eat regularly, they have extra strength, etc. What makes these zombies different is that they can be walking around like everyday people living fairly normal lives. The main character is a reformed loser who has been turned into a zombie without her knowledge...and she is freaking hilarious. Angel is blunt and nothing ever goes the way she plans. She's a fantastic leading lady...er...zombie...and I adore this series. 

Next up is a zombie book that shook me to my core. This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers kept me awake and reading until four o'clock in the morning. This is a young adult, stand alone book (there is a novella sequel). In this book our main character, Sloane, wants to die so the zombie apocalypse doesn't really concern her as much as it provides a possible opportunity for her suicide. This book is really more about Sloane's desire to die versus the fear of the zombies. She spends most of the book barricaded in a high school gym with other students, ones who actually want to live, and trying to find a way to get herself killed...until she develops feelings for one of the other students...

Finally we have a more traditional zombie series, As the World Dies. The first in this series is The First Days by Rhiannon Frater. This book introduces us to two women who come across each other in the first days of the zombie apocalypse while running for their lives. We follow them as they arrive at a bit of a safe haven of sorts, which is where we meet lots of other interesting side characters. This series has all the gross eating of body parts, bashing zombies with various homemade weapons, and character deaths that most people equate with zombie stories. Fans of The Walking Dead would probably enjoy these books, although I caution readers to check out the books and not the audios as I did not care for the narrator at all.

Tell me your favorite zombie book or series and why I should add it to my TBR mountain.