Book Review: Lowcountry Punch by Boo Walker

Author: Boo Walker

Source: review copy from the author

My Rating: 5 cups

Blurb: (from Goodreads):

After the worst Christmas Eve of his life, DEA Agent T.A. Reddick leaves Miami for the magical city of Charleston, South Carolina, hoping a return to his roots will heal a broken heart and the guilt of killing a friend. The sleepy and sultry town of Charleston is filled with echoes of the Old South: genteel playboys, society debutantes, and quiet cobblestone streets. But as Reddick will soon discover, there's danger lurking under her charming veneer. When a movie star's death shines a national spotlight on Charleston's underground cocaine trade, he must go undercover to find the main supplier and shut him down. As a hurricane bears down on the port city and the DEA gets ready to spring its trap, Reddick must contend with more than he ever could have imagined.

Brash and bold, TA Reddick is a hero you won’t soon forget. Lowcountry Punch is an action-packed novel that will have you on your knees begging for more.

This is one of those "don't judge a book by its cover" situations. Of course, now that I read the book I understand the cover more than I did before.

I'm glad I got to read this book. It made me stay glued to my e-reader and glare at anyone who dared to interrupt me (yes, I'm that type of reader). It was a very fast-paced mystery novel and I truly, truly loved it.

It's been a while since I've read a story that's told only from the hero's perspective. I forgot how fun it was to be inside a guy's head. TA Reddick is actually a fun character. I liked his sense of humor, the fact that he was brutally honest with everyone, the fact that he was able to admit his feelings without thinking he was less of a man for talking about them. I loved his sense of justice and the fact that he was able to do the right thing even if he didn't like it. I respected him for that a lot and that's probably why a lot of the people he worked with and people who knew him respected him. He was an incredible character, one of those that stick with you even after you've finished reading the book.

There were a lot of scenes full of suspense and those scenes kept me on the edge of my seat a lot. Also, there were moments that were very funny and tender moments and some sad ones. It had everything I could ask for from a mystery novel and I couldn't be happier.

I'm actually sitting here hoping there will be a second book with this character. It's easy to love him and I feel like I could spend a lot of time reading about his adventures and his cases. I think this is one of those "must-reads". Especially if you're a mystery thriller fan.

April In Retrospect

April's gone. bringing us closer and closer to summer *happy dance* I can't wait to spend long, lazy days on the beach reading on my e-reader and swimming in the sea. I'll probably spend more time swimming than reading during those days at the beach, but that's a different story.

April was a better month than the others have been. I managed to read a lot more books than I expected and I discovered some must-read authors. Just when I think there can't possibly be another author out there to make me fall in love with their work, I find one that kills that idea quickly.

Here are the books I read in April:

1. Behind Closed Doors by Sherri Hayes
2. An Untimely Love by Tendai Huchu
3. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
4. The Binding by L. Filloon
5. Social Punk by Monica Leonelle
6. Dance With The Devil by Sherrilyn Kenyon
7. Everlong by Hailey Edwards
8. A Hint Of Frost by Hailey Edwards
9. Fighting the Devil by Jeannie Walker
10. Night Embrace by Sherrilyn Kenyon

I'm still behind with my reading or so Goodreads is telling me. Of course, I'm not counting the books I'm rereading in my 100 books goal this year. So I think May needs to be fuller. Darn real life, getting in the way of my reading :P

Anyway, here are the reviews I wrote this month:

1. Behind Closed Doors - Sherri Hayes
2. An Untimely Love - Tendai Huchu
3. The Immortal Rules - Julie Kagawa
4. The Binding - L. Filloon
5. Socialpunk - Monica Leonelle
6. Dance With The Devil - Sherrilyn Kenyon
7. Everlong - Hailey Edwards
8. Fighting the Devil - Jeannie Walker

In April I did my first interviews with authors Mary Parker and Sherri Hayes.

Reading Challenges Progress:

1. New Author Challenge  15/25 
2. 100 Books In A Year Reading Challenge 23/100

If you happen to hear a smacking sound, that's me slapping myself for forgetting about the Women Of The Otherworld challenge. Yes, for once I forgot to read a book o.O But anyway, I have time to make up for it :D 

All in all, I'm pretty proud of how I did this month. I hope I can do at least just as good in May. How did your April look like?

Book Review: Everlong by Hailey Edwards (Re-read)

Author: Hailey Edwards
Series: Daughters of Askara #1
My Rating: 5 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

The most damaged heart can fly with the right pair of wings.
Madelyn’s life is far from fairytale perfect. She is second in line for the throne of a corrupt, brutal monarchy. Or at least she was until her dark guardian sacrificed his life to hide her safely in a realm of infinite possibilities.
For years she’s lived among a colony of escaped slaves as her guardian’s widow. Even in this simple life, though, nothing is as it seems. Her hero kept a secret—a younger brother named Clayton Delaney. Warrior, winged demon…and the man who now wants to lay claim to her heart.
No longer cast in his brother’s shadow, Clayton meets all obstacles head on, including one named Maddie. His infatuation with her reaches the breaking point when she undergoes a royal rite of passage, going into heat and pushing them both over the edge.
Just as Maddie learns that some risks are worth taking, she discovers that her guardian may be alive. And she’s forced to make a choice between the man she’d thought she loved, and the demon willing to lend her his wings.

You know what I love? A book that's very good the first time you read it and even better when you read it a second time. This week I'm doing more rereading than I had planned. That's probably because I've got a case of goldfish memory (or it's going to be a full moon soon or something :P). Anyway, for some reason, the only thing I remembered from Everlong was a scene full of suspense and me wanting to scream each and every time a certain demon appeared in front of Madelyn.  Ok, there was another scene, but that I HAD to remember. I mean, how could I forget that one with the hot male, wet shirt and dishes and...oh my! *fans self*

Like I was saying, I really loved Everlong. I know I say this a lot, but I do love unique approaches and new worlds. Everlong definitely has that. And what's really good about it is that you don't see a stereotype anywhere. I've never read about winged demons (*sigh*) so I was very happy (and in love, yes!) when I read about Clayton and the other hot demons.

The thing I liked above anything else is the way you get to see the relationship between Maddie and Clayton evolve before the hot sex happens. Probably because of Maddie's story, but I really loved that we get to see that. Also, it gives Clayton a chance to prove that he loves Maddie for her, not for some physical, hormonal thing.

Speaking of Clayton. Can I swoon now? The guy is not only hot and funny, he also has a lot of charm. But the thing I liked most about him was that he didn't try to copy Harper. He didn't try to become someone other than himself and I loved that. And his feelings for Madelyn are so strong and powerful that he'd be willing to do anything for her, including letting her be with another man if that's what makes her happy. That makes him even more manly in my eyes. I loved that about him. Also, the man has wings :D

Maddie broke my heart a few times. Made me want to kill her stepdad more than once. And torture her mom. See, that's another reason I loved this book and I'm sure a lot of readers can agree. It's one thing to say "oh, this character had some really bad stuff happen to them, I'm so sorry blah blah blah" and it's a very different thing to feel what the character feels and to want to jump inside the story and kill a few bad guys. For me, while I do get captivated by a book, it's not something that happens very often, that besides my mind that gets captivated by the story,  my actual emotions are "present" there also. So that's another reason to love Everlong.

So if you love paranormal/fantasy, you should really try this series :)

Cover Love (15)

This feature is hosted by Carmel @ Rabid Reads. The rules are very simple. Choose a cover (or two, or three), preferably new-ish, and share what you like about it. Grab the graphic or don't just so long as you link back.


My pick this week:

I'm sorry I'm late. My brain is weird this week. But anyway...

This cover is so beautiful. And if you watch the Once Upon A Time TV show, you probably know the very cool twist they put to Little Red Riding Hood's tale. So I'm really, really imagining this cover to be perfect for that type of view of the classic story. I don't know for some reason, the girl on the cover manages to look cute and scary at the same time. I for one plan on reading this book :D









So what about you? What cover do you love this week?

Re-read Book Review: Dance With The Devil by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

Series: Dark Hunters # 3

My Rating: 5 cups

Blurb: (from Goodreads):

Zarek's Point of View:
Dark-Hunter: A soulless guardian who stands between mankind and those who would see mankind destroyed. Yeah, right. The only part of that Code of Honor I got was eternity and solitude.

Insanity: A condition many say I suffer from after being alone for so long. But I don't suffer from my insanity-I enjoy every minute of it.

Trust: I can't trust anyone...not even myself. The only thing I trust in is my ability to do the wrong thing in any situation and to hurt anyone who gets in my way.
Truth: I endured a lifetime as a Roman slave, and 900 years as an exiled Dark-Hunter. Now I'm tired of enduring. I want the truth about what happened the night I was exiled-I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Astrid (Greek, meaning star): An exceptional woman who can see straight to the truth. Brave and strong, she is a point of light in the darkness. She touches me and I tremble. She smiles and my cold heart shatters.
Zarek: They say even the most damned man can be forgiven. I never believed that until the night Astrid opened her door to me and made this feral beast want to be human again. Made me want to love and be loved. But how can an ex-slave whose soul is owned by a Greek goddess ever dream of touching, let alone holding, a fiery star?

There's something about a tortured hero that makes my heart pound. It's not that I'm happy they're tortured. It makes me sad and then angry at the people who hurt the poor guy. But I love to see how the author manages to save him and find the perfect mate for him. So it's not a surprise that I loved Zarek and his story.

It was heartbreaking to read it and some of Zarek's memories made me want to cry and cry. I was so happy to see Astrid manage to look beyond his initial response to her and to be able to push all his defense mechanisms out of the way and discover the real Zarek, the tender lover, the hero, the guy with a noble heart, the man who would risk his life to save everyone around him.

The one thing I always see in Kenyon's books is that she manages to show how different people see the same scene, the same person or action in a very different way. It's the same with each and every character. You can never really know what you'll see next. So if in Night Embrace  you read about a cruel, crazy Zarek, in Dance With The Devil you see the good side of him, the one incapable of hurting someone for no reason, the person who, despite everything that has been thrown at him, is still trying to find the goodness in people. And it's the same thing with each character in this series.

As always, more questions pop up as you read the series, and it's what keeps it interesting. Behind the love stories, you have an incredible world to discover and it's a world that I truly adore.

Book Review: Fighting the Devil by Jeannie Walker

Author: Jeannie Walker
Source: review copy offered by the author
My Rating: 4 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

A Texas millionaire rancher discovered his wife and bookkeeper had stolen thousands of dollars from him. After he demanded the money back, he started getting sick. While in the hospital, doctors were mystified as to how an otherwise healthy, energetic man could become so deathly ill. The dying man told everyone within earshot that his wife and bookkeeper were killing him. The man's wife said her husband was hallucinating from drugs the doctors were giving him. The millionaire rancher succumbed in the hospital while strapped down to his bed with restraints on his hands and feet and tubes in every orifice. After the rancher died, an anonymous caller tipped off the police. The widow was the sole beneficiary of the estate and a $350,000 life insurance policy. A week before the man's death, a teenager visited the rancher's home and became deathly ill after he drank juice that was in the rancher's refrigerator. Two years after the millionaire's death, a bottle of arsenic was found in a storage locker rented by a woman under an assumed name. The millionaire's ex-wife, the mother of his children, became a sleuth to help solve the murder. No one could have predicted the aftermath with its strange twists and unexpected results.

Every now and then I feel the need to read a book based on reality. Non-fiction if you like, though my head tells me non-fiction has more to do with text books, exams and sleepless nights. But what do I know? Anyway, like I said, sometimes I need to read something autobiographical.

I have to say, Fighting the Devil wasn't what I expected. I was expecting suspense, drama, some really intense moments, maybe a little scary scenes. What I didn't expect was to be so emotional while I was reading. From sadness to anger, love, hate, fear, pity, revolted, I felt them all. I wasn't expecting that or the fact that I couldn't put it down.

The story is, I think, one of the saddest I've read this year. It's even sadder because it's true. I always get amazed by some people's cruelness and greed and their lack of compassion and conscience. It's something that to me is extremely disturbing sometimes. Of course, I did get to read about murder cases, so it's not exactly news to me, but it is still a little weird and sad.

The only thing I felt was a little too much were the religious references or the little scenes around that subject. But that's just because I'm not an overly religious person.

If you like non-fiction, true crime stories, you should try this one. It's a book that won't let you put it down.