Showing posts with label vampires. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vampires. Show all posts

Sunday, 5 May 2024

BORROWED MAGIC

Borrowed Magic by Stephanie Foxe
Book 1 in the Witch's Bite series
Narrated by Laurel Schroeder
Genre: urban fantasy
Format: ebook & audiobookAudiobook


About Borrowed Magic:
A witch with a troubled past and a dangerous secret...
And bills to pay.

Peddling legal potions isn’t enough, so Olivia Carter works for the vampires now. She heals the people they feed on and does her best to avoid any trouble. She has a new boyfriend, a place to live (pay no mind to the rats living under the porch), and a cauldron for every occasion. Building a life in a new town isn’t easy, but Olivia is doing alright.

When the police show up at her door trying to pin a murder on her employer, and then her, she’ll have to risk everything to save her only friend and her future.

All magic has a price. Are you willing to pay it?
Source: Info in the About Borrowed Magic was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36310899-borrowed-magic on 19/10/2019.

My Thoughts:
Short and sweet!

Borrowed Magic may read like a book but it is so short, it is more like a novella. The print version is only 146 pages long. Having said that, it did manage to have a plot, which is more than I can say for a lot of full lentgh urban fantasy books that I have read. Plot-less-ness seems to be a plague in the urban fantasy genre! And of course, it ended in a cliffhanger, but only to point to the plot of the next book in the series. The plot in this one, actually sort-of resolved.

I first encountered this narrator in Dragon's Gift: Valkyrie by Linsey Hall, I didn't like her singsong then and I still don't like it now.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4.5
Writing Style = 5
Ending = 4
World building = 5
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = 5
Plot = 3
Narration = 3

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries


Books In The Witch's Bite Series:


Meet The Author

About Stephanie Foxe:
Stephanie Foxe was born and raised near Houston, TX. She grew up playing in the pond and woods in her backyard, and devouring every book she could get her hands on.

Her teen years were spent transitioning slowly from reader, to writer. She spent most evenings on the phone with her cousin writing the first few pages to many books that would never be finished.

Her adult years were spent toiling away at a corporate job until one fateful day when she heard about a little writing project called NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). From there, the idea of writing a book went from a fanciful dream to a finished manuscript. The first book in the Witch’s Bite series was written, and Stephanie was addicted.

Now, she has plans to publish everything from paranormal fantasy to science fiction.

One book at a time.

Join the Newsletter to be kept updated on any new releases. Sign up today to receive Unsteady Magic, the short story prequel to the Witch’s Bite series, for free!


The Narrator

About Laurel Schroeder:
Laurel Schroeder is a classically trained actor who received her MFA in acting from the University of Houston. She's narrated over 100 audiobooks, and although her genres vary widely, she's particularly fond of narrating young adult and mystery novels. When not in the booth working on her latest project, she can sometimes be seen in film or on stage, most recently in the world premiere of Good for Otto, by Tony Award–winning playwright David Rabe. A Colorado native, she now lives in Chicago with her boyfriend and their dog, the cutest little troublemaker you ever did see.




FTC Disclosure:
The different formats of this book were purchased with private funds.
No money received for this review.

Sunday, 20 April 2014

CASSANDRA PALMER series

Touch The Dark by Karen Chance
Book 1 of the Cassandra Palmer series
Genre: urban fantasy

About Touch The Dark:
Cassandra Palmer can see the future and communicate with spirits — talents that make her attractive to the dead and the undead. The ghosts of the dead aren’t usually dangerous; they just like to talk…a lot.

The undead are another matter.

Like any sensible girl, Cassie tries to avoid vampires. But when the bloodsucking mafioso she escaped three years ago finds Cassie again with vengeance on his mind, she’s forced to turn to the vampire Senate for protection.

The undead senators won’t help her for nothing, and Cassie finds herself working with one of their most powerful members, a dangerously seductive master vampire — and the price he demands may be more than Cassie is willing to pay....
Source: Info in the About Touch The Dark was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/67513.Touch_the_Dark on 28/07/2013.

My Thoughts:
This series has it's ups and downs but for the most part, I like it. I like the story telling quality of this author. It's compelling. The story arc of the series is interesting enough for me to keep coming back. Being an urban fantasy geek, I love the world building. Thus far I would rate this series a 4.5 out of 5.

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries


Books In The Cassandra Palmer Series:
Book 8: RIDE THE STORM Book 8.1: BLACK FRIDAY Book 9: BRAVE THE TEMPEST Book 10: SHATTER THE EARTH Book 11: IGNITE THE FIRE: INCENDIARY Book 12 IGNITE THE FIRE: INFERNO Book 13: HIJACK THE SEAS



Update:
03/08/2024 - Updated the books in the series.

Thursday, 11 July 2013

MERCY THOMPSON series

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
Book 1 of the Mercy Thompson series
Genre: urban fantasy

About Moon Called:
Mercedes "Mercy" Thompson is a talented Volkswagen mechanic living in the Tri-Cities area of Washington. She also happens to be a walker, a magical being with the power to shift into a coyote at will. Mercy's next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she's fixing a bus for a vampire. This is the world of Mercy Thompson, one that looks a lot like ours but is populated by those things that go bump in the night. And Mercy's connection to those things is about to get her into some serious hot water...
Source: Info in the About Moon Called was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/71811.Moon_Called on 11/07/2013.

Review:
Masterpiece story telling quality which makes this book stand out in a congested genre! Character development is superb, giving us not just characters but friends to sympathize and empathize with. World building is believable. Seemlessly blending paranormal with modern society. Love Patricia Briggs!
Source: Review of Moon Called was taken from http://www.cherrymischievous.com/2008/01/moon-called.html on 11/07/2013.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4.5
Ending = 4.5
World building = 5
Cover art = 4.5
Pace = 5
Plot = 4

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 cherries


Books In The Mercy Thompson Series:
Book 9: FIRE TOUCHED Book 10: SILENCE FALLEN Book 11: STORMED CURSED Book 12: SMOKE BITTEN Book 13: SOUL TAKEN Book 14: WINTER LOST Book 15: (TBC)



Update:
03/08/2024 - Updated the books in the series.