Review: Shepherd's Moon by Stacy Mantle

I was fortunate to receive this book from the author through a the group Making Connections on Goodreads

Publication Date

October 25th, 2011

Publisher

Self-Published

Available At

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

It's taken twelve years to earn the official title of Shepherd but she's now mostly trained, fairly effective, and the first female in over two centuries to hold the position as protector of animals. All animals. . .


The Territorial Council isn't thrilled with her new title of Shepherd, but they don't have any more control over the appointment than they have over her. All they can really do is wait for her to screw something up - which Alex is determined not to do. Everything changes with a chance encounter with a genetically modified Shifter leaves Alex shaken and initiates a quest to locate its maker.

In a desperate bid to save her pack, Alex must infiltrate the Parallax Corporation - an international organization with their hands in everything from biomedical engineering to publishing. They have now expanded their efforts to include terrorism and are attempting to breed the perfect weapon.

Despite years of training and enough money from her live-in pack of misfits to finance a small country, Alex finds herself woefully unprepared to tackle the new threat. To make matters worse, Alex must work with a mysterious man who's been trying to kill her since the day they met. Together with her pack, Alex must learn how to stop the biological cloning and find those responsible for the plan before it really does become a global threat.

Review
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars


I have to say that I enjoyed the characters along with the plot line, but I found quite a few problems that detracted from my reading experience.

As soon as I started reading Shepherd's Moon I instantly felt as if I missed out on the first book of the series. There was just so much backstory and history that was relayed to us as the reader and had a huge part of the story. I also think that by not being able to 'witness' the past events, it lessened the investment into the characters, I wasn't as effected as I should have been. Also, the repetitiveness was extraneous. It seemed that every time Modnik(the were-jaguar) was brought up that we got a recap of the event that took place pre-book.

There is a broad spectrum of Shifters in Shepherd's Moon, as well as other preternatural creatures. It was fun to see all the different ones as they came to play in the story. For instance, there are vampires, Nephilim, different weres like jaguars, coyotes, wolves, horses, hawks, cheetahs. In other words, Stacy Mantle brought a lot of new concepts to the table that I really appreciated.

Alex as the female protagonist was a strong voice, in my opinion. I liked her determination and fierce loyalty to her pack, but I couldn't figure out if she was 20 or 24, I think each age was mentioned once in the book. I also had to keep reminding myself of her age, she reads as an older woman, and it might have been the authors intention because Alex hasn't had an easy life. She's had to grow up quickly to take on certain responsibilities. She seemed to fumble around a lot with her responsibilities and lacked a certain amount of experience, and that's the one thing I found consistent with her age.

I found the plot line extremely intriguing, capable of pulling me in, but incapable of hiding the inconsistencies that were scattered throughout. For instance, Alex tells us that weres aren't born, they are made, but then she has a were-jaguar in her pack that has had multiple births, currently raising two as jaguar cubs because it's easier to raise them as cubs than humans. They were born, right? So maybe Alex meant that they could be born or created? Or are Shifters different than Weres? I don't know, I constantly had my brow furrowed as I tried to decipher some of the things in this book. But, as I said, the plot line is super interesting, it just needs to be polished up for the full affect of a potentially great story to take place. There were also a lot of misplacement's of quotation marks, or lack of. It was a distraction that took away from my reading pleasure, usually I tend to ignore error like that, but it was a little too obvious.

The romance, in my opinion, was non-existent. The guy that I thought would be the perfect match for Alex was too easily dismissed because she could read his mind and they were best friends since they grew up together. I felt that there was a lot of romantic potential that Stacy Mantle could have cashed in on between Billy and Alex. There was a repulsion/attraction thing going on with Tristan, but there was only one moment where he was attractive to ME as the reader. And don't get me wrong, I like romance in my stories, but it's not a necessity that I need to be able to enjoy a good story.

I should be giving this book 2 stars, but I did actually really, really like it. The characters were fun, the plot line drew me in, but it needs to be re-edited by the author so she can polish it up a bit more. If she does that, then I think she will gain more interest because the story and the series has A LOT of potential. I am extremely curious to see where this series will go, so Stacy Mantle can count me in line for the next installment.

Review: Awakening The Nightmare by Lanie Malone

I received this novel from the author(through Making Connections on Goodreads) in exchange for an honest review

In a world filled with preternatural beings, Corrine DeLacy stands alone. For centuries she has hidden her heritage and powers from the rest of the world. Then Nick is forced into her life, Turning it upside down. Standing in her way at every turn, he watches her suspiciously. Circumstances landed them together and now they must fight to save all that they hold dear.

Authors Warning: This book contains content that is not suitable for young readers 17 and under, and which may be offensive to some readers of all ages

Review
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

Awakening The Nightmare is an enjoyable story that continues to pique your interest as you continue to read.

The characters each had their own quirks and mannerisms that make them stand out from each other. Some were more delightful, than others, as is the case with most books. Cory and Nick were likable, but I found myself a little more curious about the secondary characters. I'm crossing my fingers that we will see more of them! Cory is a fierce female protagonist that was fun to read about as she battled the physical and emotional struggles. Nick was a refreshing male character, for me, because the roles were reversed as he was the one wearing his heart on his sleeve as Cory ran away from her feelings. It was a nice change. In my opinion, the secondary characters added immensely to the overall feel of the story, making it more rounded out.

Awakening The Nightmare has a little of each preternatural such as vampires, werewolves, other weres, witches, shifters, demons, fae and even ghosts. A lot, I know, but it works for this book. The mysteriousness of Cory and her past help to sustain curiosity, propelling readers to continue forth in the adventure. The history of each species was added in evenly, never bogging down the story. The downfall for me, was that the writing seemed to fall flat. It was simple and plain, which can work for some stories, but I needed more from this book. The descriptions of the scenery were adequate, but everything in between left me wanting for more. I wasn't transported into the story and I so desperately wanted to be. There was a slight predictability, but also some things that were a sneaky surprise.

Overall, this was a fast, fun read. Loose ends were nicely tied up, but with the set-up of possible future stories of this cast left open.

Awakening The Nightmare is currently available at Smashwords 

Review: The Forever Girl by Rebecca Hamilton

 I was lucky enough to receive a free copy of The Forever Girl from the author.


Sophia Parsons' family has skeletons, but they aren't in their graves. . .

Solving the mystery of an ancestor's hanging might silence the clashing whispers in Sophia's mind, but the cult in her town and the supernaturals who secretly reside there are determined to silence her first.

As Sophia unknowingly crosses the line into an elemental world full of vampire-like creatures, shapeshifters, and supernatural grim reapers, she meets Charles, a man who becomes both lover and ally.

But can she trust him?

It's not until someone nearly kills Sophia that she realizes the only way to unveil the source of her family's curse: abandon her humanity. If she wants to survive, she must accept who she is, perform dark magic, and fight to the death for her freedom.


Review
Genre: New Adult Paranormal
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Tantalizing. Extraordinary. Captivating. Rebecca Hamilton filled the pages with beautiful, vivid, descriptive prose that easily transforms into images. I love when authors think outside of the box to describe a scenery or character, when they turn simple words into lyrical sentences, evoking emotions. Rebecca Hamilton does this, pairing it with a strong, fresh plot line and characters that carry the story(instead of the other way around).

Sophia is the epitome of a perfect female protagonist. She is strong-willed, intelligent, open minded and is able to keep her wits and morals intact. She battles with her inner struggles in such a way that many readers will be able to relate to her, becoming dazzled by her as we live the story through her. Charles is also a fantastic character. Deep, determined and open minded like Sophia. We get to slowly scratch away his many layers as the story and relationship progress. Secrets are kept, trust is tested.

As the story progresses, the plot line will lead us in ways that were unforeseen. Even with the mild foreshadowing that the author sneaks in to keep our interest piqued. This is not a world just thrown together to produce a story. This is a story steeped in musty history and rich facts that brings every intricate detail into sharp focus. Every world flows together with purpose. The romance is so pure that it lends a sweeter taste to the eeriness of the story.

This is a new world of vampires, shapeshifters and witches that stands alone in it's own realm. This is a book that will grab your attention, refusing to let go. The eerie world that Rebecca Hamilton has created in The Forever Girl has and will keep capturing the attention of readers. And rightfully so! I was completely 100% absorbed in The Forever Girl from the first page. The story will linger, the characters will haunt until we are satisfied by reading the next book.

The Forever Girl is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Keep an eye out for Her Sweetest Downfall, a novella about a character in The Forever Girl, it should be out some time in June or July.

Review: The Sin Collector by Jessica Fortunato

I was lucky yo receive a The Sin Collector from the author through the group, Making Connections on Goodreads.

"The Sin Collector" follows the life of Liliana, a born Sin Collector. She has spent over 100 years absorbing people's sins so they may rest in peace come death. However when she meets another Collector, one who insists everything she's been taught is a lie, Liliana must make her way from sunny L.A. all the way to the streets of Madrid. Searching for answers to a question we all share. Why are we here? The friends and enemies she makes along the way only seem to blur the line between right and wrong. Can Liliana fight the Castus, an organization bent on killing off every Sin-Eater? Should she trust her head or her heart when the two most important men in her life are fighting alongside her? Then there is the worst question of all, who will be left when the dust settles.

Review
Genre: Paranormal/Romance
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Sin Collector, the debut novel from author Jessica Fortunato, is a completely new concept that is fresh, new and oh, so intriguing.

As soon as you begin to read, you are hit with the loneliness that drips off of Liliana. It's a powerful emotion that everyone will easily empathize with. Although Liliana is lonely, she's still an adept female protagonist. She's strong, resilient, determined and loving. She also has a hilarious sarcastic flare that adds life to her character. Billy is sweet, caring and fierce at times, but his character is cloaked in suspicion along with Olexanders character. Olexander(in my eyes) was a powerful addition to the set of characters. He has his Old-World charm, protectiveness(of his small Sin-Collector family), he's compassionate, but with that said, you can never be certain where the suspicions should truly lay. Olexander and Billy(but really the author) expertly place suspicion into the readers mind. I was constantly asking the question, who can Lily trust?

The plot line will keep you entertained as you keep trying to figure out the end result. This is quite an adventure that Lily undergoes! There is action, a little bit of romance, suspense and mystery. The main focus in the plot was the paranormal and suspense with a light order of romance. The romance was sweet and innocent as Lily is faced with two men from her past. There are religious undertones, but it stays simple with the characters' beliefs/faith. The ending is satisfactory, tied up nicely with a hint of what to expect in the next installments. Although, there were some things that were left unexplained. I hope they will be in the next book. This was an enjoyable read with great characters and a fresh concept, recommended to all ages and genders!

Here's a quote that I found hilarious. . .

"Truth  was, I didn't really want to die today. I was in the middle of a really good book, and being alive had always worked out for me. . ."

The Sin Collector is available at Amazon