Category Archives: 4 Flames

DESTINED FOR AN EARLY GRAVE
A Night Huntress Novel # 4
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Source: Personal Purchase

Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Avon; Original edition (July 28, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061583219
ISBN-13: 978-0061583216

SUMMARY:

Her deadly dreams leave her in grave danger…

Since half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her undead lover Bones met six years ago, they’ve fought against the rogue undead, battled a vengeful Master vampire, and pledged their devotion with a blood bond. Now it’s time for a vacation. But their hopes for a perfect Paris holiday are dashed when Cat awakes one night in terror. She’s having visions of a vampire named Gregor who’s more powerful than Bones and has ties to her past that even Cat herself didn’t know about. 

Gregor believes Cat is his and he won’t stop until he has her. As the battle begins between the vamp who haunts her nightmares and the one who holds her heart, only Cat can break Gregor’s hold over her. She’ll need all the power she can summon in order to bring down the baddest bloodsucker she’s ever faced . . . even if getting that power will result in an early grave. 

MY THOUGHTS:

Where do I start with this book?  I will start off by saying that I am a huge fan of this series so far, but this has to be my least favorite book.  I say this not because of the writing, dialogue or the plot.  All of those things were exceptional and done great.  The problem I had with this book was the characters themselves.

Usually Cat is strong and fierce which is what I loved so much about her.  In Destined For An Early Grave, it seemed the author wanted to show the human side of Cat which would have been great— but it is not true to the character of Cat.  I have grown to love how Cat rolls with the punches and brushes her self off after each drama filled confrontation.  In this book she seemed to absorb the punches and wallow in the grief of each one.  I kept waiting for the strong and fierce Cat to rise up and stab anything that moved.

Bones changed in this book as well and it was not for the better.  Usually Bones is carefree and deeply loyal to Cat.  He has the Alpha thing going on with each book yet it was balanced just enough to make Cat equal to his personality.  In this book, I loathed the way Bones acted.  I hated his better-than-thou attitude and how he became such an overbearing abuser of his words and ways.  I literally screamed and threw my book up against the wall when I read chapter 17.  I was pissed and hurt that the author went down this path for the couple.  I almost didn’t finish reading the book because of it.

Yet, I picked my book up, brushed it off, and did what Cat should have done.  I got angry and determined to see where the author was going to take us next.  Did I relax and enjoy the rest of the book? No.  I flipped through those pages with the fury of a woman scorned and devoured it!  Yes, I started to enjoy it again, but I had a new outlook on each character.  Then when the author tried to reverse this downfall I felt confused.  I couldn’t believe how Cat just accepted it and continued on in the relationship with Bones!  I wanted Cat to beat the crap out of the “sod” and put her foot down!

Overall, while I didn’t enjoy the way things were handled between the characters, the book was great as a whole.  We lost beloved characters again in the fight, we mourned their loss, and the writer even did some drastic changes to some characters that you don’t expect.  So even though I wasn’t a fan of the choices Bones and Cat made,  I was a fan of the story by the end.

FAVORITE QUOTES:

“Then you remember the dream,” Mencheres stated. “That bodes ill.”
 
The fear of that made my reply snappy. “Hey, Walks Like An Egyptian, how about for once you drop the formal stuff and talk like you live in the twenty-first century?”
 
“The shit’s gonna splatter, start buggin’, yo,” Mencheres responded instantly.
 
I stared at him, then burst out laughing, which was highly inappropriate considering the very grave warning he’d just conveyed.
page 40

“Lucifer’s hairy ball sack! You’ve become a morlock.”
-Spade

She was my mother. I couldn’t threaten to slap, stab, beat or even name call her. I tried to think of something to scare her into never mentioning the predicament with the Dreamsnatcher again.
“I’ll become a swinger,” I said. Her eyes bugged. Uptight rearing made her uncomfortable with alternate lifestyles. “That’s right. Threesomes, foursomes, and more. Bones knows about a thousand chicks who’d love to hop into bed with us. It’ll be kinky, we’ll get our freak on.” 

“We have to leave,” I said to Vlad. “Now.”
“‘Run, Forrest, run!'” Vlad mocked.
“Stow it, Drac,” I snapped.
page 229

MY RATING:

AT GRAVE’S END
A Night Huntress Novel #3
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Source: Personal Purchase

Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Avon (December 30, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061583073
ISBN-13: 978-0061583070

SUMMARY: 

It should be the best time of half-vampire Cat Crawfield’s life. With her undead lover Bones at her side, she’s successfully protected mortals from the rogue undead. But though Cat’s worn disguise after disguise to keep her true identity a secret from the brazen bloodsuckers, her cover’s finally been blown, placing her in terrible danger. 

As if that wasn’t enough, a woman from Bones’s past is determined to bury him once and for all. Caught in the crosshairs of a vengeful vamp, yet determined to help Bones stop a lethal magic from being unleashed, Cat’s about to learn the true meaning of bad blood. And the tricks she’s learned as a special agent won’t help her. She will need to fully embrace her vampire instincts in order to save herself—and Bones—from a fate worse than the grave. 

MY THOUGHTS:

The third book in the series started off as a slow read for me.  In my opinion, the first half of this book seemed to drag on.  Yes, it had action and romance, but it felt repetitive.  It felt like it was the same stuff we read about in the previous two books with a slight change here and there.  Then when we get to chapter 21, the book took off!

I cried and wept reading chapter 21.  My heart was literally breaking along side Cat’s.  I couldn’t believe the author had done this and couldn’t imagine how she was going to fix it.  Even with the sadness and despair I felt, I continued on in the journey with Cat and her friends.  I gained new respect for previous characters and enjoyed them even more than I had in the past.  I felt their pain and I wanted to reach into the pages and comfort them all.

Then along came chapter 24 and the author put our hearts from unbelievable sadness into heart racing joy!  The arc in the story was pulled off wonderfully and I loved every sentence, every word, and every letter the author wrote.  Those climatic and suspenseful chapters was just what the book needed to revive the lull and bring us back to the feel we had from the previous books.

When the action picks up yet again towards the end of the book, there was amazing angst, drama and again loss that will sadden your heart.  I can’t believe that the author took a risk in killing off certain characters that I had grown to love, yet it played out wonderfully and enhanced the book even more.

The characters have grown, unappealing characters have turned into people I would stand by in death, and my love for this authors writing has become immense.  I can’t wait to see what she has in store for the characters in the next book!

MY RATING:

CODE OF JUSTICE
Author: Liz Johnson
Source: Author Submission
*I received this book free of charge 
in exchange for an honest review*

Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Steeple Hill; 1st edition (March 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0373444346
ISBN-13: 978-0373444342

SUMMARY:

“Follow the drugs.”
 Her sister’s last words shake FBI agent Heather Sloan to the core. They also convince her that the helicopter crash only Heather survived wasn’t an accident. Sheriff’s deputy Jeremy Latham is assigned the case—he’s the one who can help Heather find the person responsible…once she convinces him they should work together. As they dig for the truth, they learn to trust and care for each other. Will they lose it all when the killer targets Heather? She’s willing to risk her life to find her sister’s killer—but her code of justice could cost her the chance to win Jeremy’s love.

MY THOUGHTS:

After participating in a previous blog tour for this author, I was excited when she asked me to join this one as well!  When it comes to Inspirational Romance I can be a little hesitant on accepting the book for review.  Since I read the previous book by the author, I knew that she had the ability to pull it off without coming across as “preachy” that some books in this genre can be like.

When Heather loses her sister in a plane crash that they were both involved in, she can’t get her sisters final words out of her head — “Follow The Drugs.”  While she is recuperating from her serious injuries in the hospital, she finds herself the victim of a killers cover-up.  This is where we meet Sheriff’s Deputy Jeremy Latham.  He arrives at the hospital to follow up on some questioning into the helicopter crash when he hears her screams from the hospital room.  The attacker gets away, but Jeremy finds himself involved in an undercover cover-up that Heather has also fallen into unknowingly. Together they try to figure out who is behind the helicopter crash and was determined to silence Heather to the point of murder.

I really enjoyed this book from beginning to end.  Jeremy was a great hero and I loved his sense of humor.  Heather was strong willed and independent which Jeremy found out a few times on his own with humorous results.  At first I didn’t know who the killer was, but then as you started adding up the puzzle pieces you can easily figure it out.  Even though you figure out who the killer is on your own deductions, the author still did a wonderful job of keeping you interested in the story to keep you reading until the end.  I just had to know the whole story and wanted to know why this person would do it.

The only problem I had with this book was that it seemed a lot of the chapters ended the same.  It was always with Heather or Jeremy saying a little prayer that the other was all right.  Those chapter endings were the only thing that annoyed me at times because it reminds you that you are reading an Inspirational Suspense book.  There are a few scenes in the book where each of them try to tell the other certain parts of the Bible, but it is done in a way that didn’t come across as forced on the reader.  They were more like little hints and fit with the story when it needed it.

I also liked that fact that several of the characters in the book were from her previous book titled Vanishing Act.  It was a delight to see how the other characters were doing after their story had ended.

If you don’t mind the book being from the Harlequin line of Inspirational Suspense, and you can overlook a few prayers and scriptures through out the story, then this would be a great book to read.  It has suspense, romance that isn’t over the top, humor and mystery to keep you interested until the end.

MY RATING:

IT HAPPENED ONE BITE
Author: Lydia Dare
Source: Publisher
*I received this book free of charge in 
exchange for an honest review*

Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (March 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402245076
ISBN-13: 978-1402245077

SUMMARY:

Blaire Lindsay’s been warned that her ancestral home is haunted. But it will take more than tales of a ghost to frighten Blaire, a battle-born witch with supernatural strength and the ability to make sparks fly from her fingertips. Hearing spectral wails, she decides to search for their source, and is surprised to find a handsome young man chained to the dungeon wall. But when Blair frees James from his bonds, she quickly discovers she’s unloosed far more than she could ever have imagined…Soon the castle is overrun with vampires whose perfect manners and compelling blood lust make for some very awkward moments, and Blair and James are joined in the fight of their lives to save everything they hold dear from the forces of evil…

MY THOUGHTS:

After gushing about the previous books by this author, I was already hooked with Lycans.  Now the author ventured into the vampire realm and gave me even more story to gush about!  Seriously, this author can write about anything and I will not only buy the book, but devour it as soon as bring it home.  I received this book for review, but I already plan on purchasing a final copy to add to my keeper shelf.


The independent heroine is Blaire Lindsay.  She is strong and not one to mess with.  I loved Blaire.  She is not the typical heroine you find in a historical romance who is weak and shy.  This girl has spunk and is not afraid to use it!  When she discovers James Maitland trapped in the castle that she is visiting, she finds herself attracted to the bad boy.  


With suspense and romance wrapped up into a sexy novel focused in the historical genre, this book did not disappoint.  I loved the characters, the plot and the change in direction that the author brought to us! There were a few parts that felt a little rushed at times, but I was willing to overlook that because I still feel this author does a wonderful job writing. That is the only reason I didn’t give this book a five star rating.


If you are fan of Lydia Dare and her previous books, I feel that you will easily enjoy the world she created with vampires.  One to add to your shelves if you are already hooked on this author’s writing!


MY RATING:

HEX, A WITCH AND ANGEL TALE
Author: Ramona Wray
Source: Author Submission
*I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review*

Paperback: 254 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace (January 29, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1452871574
ISBN-13: 978-1452871578

SUMMARY:

Like most girls at Rosemound High School, seventeen-year-old Lily Crane is acutely aware of Ryder Kingscott. Hands down the cutest guy in school, Ryder is cool, mysterious, and utterly untouchable…especially for Lily. For when she touches someone, Lily instantly learns all about their lives. And while such a skill might seem nifty, in truth it is wrecking Lily’s life. So she is shocked when Ryder asks her out — and even more shocked to discover he has a rival. Lucian Bell is the gorgeous new kid who can’t take his eyes off of Lily. Being pursued by two hotties should make a girl happy, but Lily is skeptical. The boys act as if they’ve met before, hating each other with a passion that could only be rooted in a dark, dangerous past. A past full of terrible secrets. The kind of secrets that could get a girl killed.

MY THOUGHTS:

Are you looking for a fresh new voice in the young adult genre?  I was excited when author Ramona Wray contacted me to review her novel since I was looking for a new author to enjoy in this genre.  Plus, who can resist a cute and cuddly cover like this one? Isn’t the artwork adorable?


Lily has a secret skill that she doesn’t like to use.  She can touch a person and learn about their life.  To some this may seem like a cool thing to do, but not for Lily.  She is trying to have a normal life and this nifty trick makes it hard for her.  Imagine wanting to date a boy and as soon as you touch you get the movie of their life in your head.  Kind of takes the romance out of the relationship rather quickly.  She has had a crush though on Ryder and has been watching him from a distance.  When Ryder actually asks her out though, Lily can’t believe it! Then to top it off, we are introduced to Lucian, who also asks Lily out.  Both boys are hot, and Lily finds herself in a love triangle with suspense and action intertwined with the romance.


The best part of the book–Ryder.  Can it get anymore perfect than him?  Well, you might think so  at first with Lucian, but let me tell you, Ryder was the perfect one in my opinion.  He was sweet, patient, and understanding — something we all want in a boy at that age,  Did I mention he was also hot?  The author did a wonderful job of including the suspense of a hexed curse that Lily discovers and everything flowed beautifully.  Yes, some parts were predictable and the beginning was a little choppy in the writing, but the author quickly recovered and made a book I thoroughly enjoyed. 


MY RATING: