Category Archives: Romance

Monk, Devon: Magic at the Gate (Allie Beckstrom) (2010)

2013-04-16 humanitysdarkerside 4 Comments

Magic on the Storm left us hanging there – a real cliff-hanger ending. And that is fine. Not that I have a say in the matter. I might have wanted to knock Devon Monk on the head with hammer for a moment, but that is my problem. Authors can be sooooooo ??

To say that The Authority is in trouble at this point would be an understatement. It became clear during Magic on the Storm that there were two factions (at least) within The Authority. Obviously Allie belongs to the “good guys” (and Jingo-Jingo to the bad).

Sadly, Zayvion is not there to aid her through most of Magic at the Gate. For obvious reasons he is out cold and Allie is not at all certain he will wake up back to his old form. Fortunately Allie is strong enough to handle that. I think she would probably be a good role-model for girls today. She just does what she has to do realising that life doesn’t play favorites.

Her dad’s old games with forcing magic to do his will is coming to bite them all in the behind. Allie tries to clean his mess up but has to fight trust-issues when it comes to good ol’ dad who just happens to be co-habitating with her. Annoying geezer and stubborn daughter.

Shame and Terric are at odds. Just because other people believe them to be soul-complements does not mean that they have to accept that. I mean, come on, we are talking about Shaymus Flynn – the king of stubbornness. I think he even tops Allie in this area.

The entertainment value of the Allie Beckstrom series is high. Devon has managed to create characters that grow and has a storyline that draws toward some kind of inevitable conclusion. While I as a reader might not know where Monk is going with the series, it is clear that she does. I am definitely going to be along for the ride.

Reviews for books 1 (Magic to the Bone), 2 (Magic in the Blood), 3 (Magic in the Shadows) and 4 (Magic on the Storm).

Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Thriller

Monk, Devon: Magic on the Storm (Allie Beckstrom) (2010)

2013-04-16 humanitysdarkerside 3 Comments

One of the things I like about Devon Monk’s Portland is the kind of magic she uses (well, her character anyways). In a place where magic has become something so ordered and available that everyone can use it for just about anything, what would happen if that magic got messed up?

When Allie discovers that a storm of apocalyptic force is bearing down on Portland, she and Zayvion have their work cut out for them in trying to convince the Authority to act. How to deal with a storm that threatens to take out the entire city while at the same time turning magic unstable and destructive, is something that has to be solved. But the Authority is divided in its approach to the problem.

Having to keep any knowledge of the Authority from non-Authority friends/acquaintances is another challenge Allie has to deal with. Fortunately Zay and Shame are also members of that “elite” society and get to play with people’s lives. For that is what the Authority does. It controls magic and how much people know about it. If some person gets too much knowledge the Authority messes with their heads. Allie hates this part of the Authority but has little choice in the matter.

Imagine you had your dad living in your head. That would be enough to drive me insane. Insanity is something Allie has to keep from happening all the while trying to be the one in charge of herself. Both she and her father are incredibly stubborn people and Daniel Beckstrom is used to people doing what he wants. But Allie is no push-over and seems to be handling her co-habitation.

Another thing Allie seems to be coming to terms (more or less) with is the acceptance of the responsibilities that have been thrown her way. Trouble still has a tendency to find her, and it seems Allie has recognised that this is her lot in life. As a “leader” of the Hounds her charges adds to the pot of trouble. But there is plenty of good that comes with all of Allie’s challenges. Her relationship with various people gives her life a dimension that had been missing.

Shame is still Mr. Naughty. His character is a gem. He and Zayvion are like two brothers (lots of love and lots of annoyance). Time and again we see Zay falling for Shame’s na-na-na-na behavior. Monk does an excellent job in portraying the balm that these relationships are to Allie’s loneliness. It is fun to follow an author that shows growth.

Reviews for books 1 (Magic to the Bone), 2 (Magic in the Blood) and 3 (Magic in the Shadows).

Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Thriller

Monk, Devon: Magic in the Shadows (Allie Beckstrom) (2009)

2013-04-16 humanitysdarkerside 5 Comments

There is especially one character in Magic in the Shadows that I want to point out. In Magic in the Blood Allie managed to bring alive a gargoyle. Stone, the gargoyle, is a wonderful “pet”/”friend” for Allie. Our block-building dude. I love him.

Another one is Shame (Shamus Flynn), our self-destructive but ever so loyal friend. I don’t know why, but characters that get into “trouble” are incredibly fun. Shame is the prankster of our trio/quartet.

Zayvion has a larger part than the other two – naturally. He is Allie’s second half (so to speak). A lot of the Allie Beckstrom series describes the growth that these two characters go through (well the rest of them as well). Monk manages to give us characters that grow and she explores human nature in all its glory and horror.

Allie’s problems are not over. The voice in her head is not helping her at all. As the series is told in 1st person, we get to view all of Allie’s incredibly dense moments, but also those moments when she gets to show what she is good for.

The Authority is very interested in getting Allie to deal with the voice in her head. They feel threatened by it. But it comes in useful when Allie has to fight with a magically created “demon”. Allie’s ability to store magic in her bones is a phenomenon no-one quite understands. Her lack of ability in controlling her magic makes it necessary for her to get help – through the Authority.

Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Thriller

Monk, Devon: Magic in the Blood (Allie Beckstrom) (2009)

2013-04-16 humanitysdarkerside 4 Comments

In Magic in the Blood Devon Monk continues to provide us with excellent entertainment. Devon Monk manages to show us a three-dimensional Allie Beckstrom. But Allie is not alone in her three-dimensionality. Her side-kicks also have a feeling of life to to them. This is quite a talent for an author.

As we saw in Magic to the Bone, one of the consequences of using magic in this version of Portland is memory loss. Allie has forgotten the previous couple of weeks – including who Zayvion is. This book deals with what happens when you forget important events in your life, having to get to know friends all over again. I guess that is what it must be like to be senile.

Someone has gone missing. Allie is asked by the police’s magic enforcement division to help on the case. It seems their own investigators are turning up dead while investigating the case.

Along with all of this Allie is beginning to see and hear things that cannot be explained. She wonders if she is going crazy.

Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult

Wright, Melissa: Pieces of Eight (Frey Saga)

2013-04-15 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Pieces of Eight is the second book of the Frey Saga trilogy. What we saw in Frey was someone whose world had been turned upside down. What she thought had been self-evident truths, weren’t. For some reason she was hunted as the witches of “the good ol’ days” were.

When we begin Pieces of Eight Frey realises just how little she knows about who and what she is. But what she thinks she knows is that there are seven other elves who are there to protect her. But even they raise doubts in Frey’s mind. I guess that would be the problem with memory loss. Who do you believe?

In Pieces of Eight the Grand Council is still hunting for Frey because of her supposed abilities. Yet Frey is in no way able to utilise these abilities properly. She is getting better at fighting but magic – not so much. There is plenty of action and frustration in the novel.

Melissa Wright writes well. She gets Frey’s frustration across to me as a reader and her fear of the Grand Council is believable.

Fantasy, LGBTQ+/GRSM, Romance, Short story/novella

Diemer, Sarah: The Witch Sea (2012)

2013-04-09 humanitysdarkerside 2 Comments

Artist: Herbert James Draper

I love this cover. It illustrates perfectly the longing of the witch in the novel. In my head that is what The Witch Sea is about. Longing to belong, to have someone to love and to love you back.

Being responsible for holding the magical net surrounding her island is becoming a difficult task for Meriel. She is no longer certain of the beliefs that her mother and grandmother have tried to imprint on her.

Both Meriel’s longing and the longing of the sea-people shines through Diemer’s prose. Very minor-key and absolutely lovely.

The author makes a point of this being a lesbian fantasy short story. Once it was pointed out to me, I could see it.

The Witch Sea won first place in the Kissed by Venus Fresh Voices short story competition.

Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Short story/novella

Cheney, Kathleen J.: Iron Shoes (Hawk’s Folly Farm) (2011)

2013-04-07 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Cover designed by Cheney/ photography by Alex Gorstan

Kathleen J. Cheney writes in minor key. I’m getting the mushy parts of her story. Maybe mush has be written in minor for me to understand it???

Ms. Cheney has written a lovely story about coming to terms with prejudice, betrayal and power-hunger but also about loyalty, love and unexpected friends.

Imogen Hawkes is a conflicted young widow who not only has to come up with money to prevent foreclosure but also has to find a way to accept herself for who she is. Not an easy thing in the early 1900’s in Saratoga.

2010: Nominated for the Nebulla award for best Novella: Iron Shoes’, J. Kathleen Cheney (Alembical 2)

Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult

Cole, Laura R.: Unleashed Fury (Blood Runes) (2011)

2013-04-07 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

The spilling of blood as a way to power is certainly a topic that more than fantasy writers have embraced, war being the first thing that comes to mind. In fantasy the spilling of blood for power generally comes in relation to either war or magic. In the case of the Blood Runes’ novels we are talking about magic.

Laura R. Cole has written a trilogy about the attempted awakening of the old Dark King. The Dark King had become so powerful through his use of blood-magic that he could not be killed, only put to sleep.

In the prologue we are introduced to a couple of semi-awakenings of the Dark King. He really wants to wake up and come into the world again to wreak his special kind of havoc.

One of our main characters is Jezebel. Jezebel is power-hungry and does not let anything hinder her. Her problem is that she is easily manipulated (all the while thinking that she is the one doing the manipulating).

The other character that we meet the most in Unleashed Fury is Layna. Layna is the unassuming and stunning servant who ends up having unexpected powers. She is humble and pretty much everything else that a HERO is supposed to be. Her main problem is that she is Jezebel’s servant and Jezebel is not the best master to have.

The action parts of this novel were great. There was plenty of it and it was well-written. Jezebel’s character was fun. She is so wrapped up in her own world-view that she just does not see even the most obvious signals that she might be wrong. My problem, as usual, lies with the mushy bits. I don’t get them – plain and simple.

Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult

Wright, Melissa: Frey (Frey Saga) (2011)

2013-03-25 humanitysdarkerside 4 Comments

In the same manner Catherine M. Wilson writes in minor key, Melissa Wright writes in major. Initially I read Frey because it was a freebie on Kindle. That is not why I continued reading the rest of the trilogy. Some authors just seem to have fun thinking up their stories and writing about them.

Part of the story was rather obvious, but the rest worked out a whole lot better than expected. I think it was the cover that fooled me. The blurb of Frey reads: “Unaware she’s been bound from using magic, Frey leads a small, miserable life in the village where she’s sent after the death of her mother. But a tiny spark starts a fury of changes and she finds herself running from everything she’s ever known.

Hunted by council for practicing dark magic, she is certain she’s been wrongfully accused. She flees, and is forced to rely on strangers for protection. But the farther she strays from home, the more her magic and forgotten memories return and she begins to suspect all is not as it seems.”

The first sentence kind of sets the tone for the rest of the novel and kind of demonstrates what I mean by writing in major key: “Crap!” I complained as I stubbed my toe on a root, one of the pitfalls of living in a tree. It says quite a bit about an author that begins her story like that.

Frey is an interesting character. As she realizes just how lost she is she also reacts in a manner that I could sympathise with. Frey was a fun read and brought me on to the next two books of the trilogy.

Fantasy, Romance, Thriller, Young Adult

Bryan, J.L.: Jenny Pox (The Paranormals) (2010)

2013-03-02 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Cover artist Phatpuppy Art

It is difficult enough being a teen-ager as it is. Add in a curse and life gets even rougher. What if that curse happens to be that anything that touches your bare skin or that you touch dies? Well, I would say a person could get mighty depressed.

Children sense when something is different about you. If there is anything to pounce upon, they will. Life is a jungle when you are little. Even if there is nothing strange about you, you will be picked on if the top dog is bored.

Jenny’s difference has made her the favorite kicking ball of her school. “Jenny Pox” has evolved into “Jenny Mittens” (due to the gloves she has to wear). All Jenny wants for herself is to get through her senior year and be finished with her fellow students. But her main bullyer is determined to make Jenny’s last year miserable. Ashley is Miss Popularity at their high school and she HATES Jenny with a passion.

I enjoyed Bryan’s characterisation of Jenny. He caught the desperation brought on by years of bullying. Very good job there. The Paranormals concept was interesting as well. As it would be a spoiler to tell, well, you will just have read Jenny Pox yourself.

Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Thriller

Bevill, C.L.: Veiled Eyes (Lake People) (2010)

2013-02-21 humanitysdarkerside 2 Comments

Cover art by C.L. Bevill

C.L. Bevill describes Veiled Eyes as a paranormal romance/suspense novel. This time I agree completely with the label.

Veiled Eyes is the first novel in the Lake People series. It is a stand-alone novel.

In Veiled Eyes we get to meet Anna St. Thais hitchhiking her way to her friend in New Orleans. You know the advice not to hitchhike? Well, Anna should have listened.

So, Anna gets kidnapped by a man with sadistic intentions and Anna is desperate to get away. Mr. Bad keeps Anna sedated in his semi. When she starts hearing someone calling her name she figures it is the result of the sedative she has been given.

Since this is a paranormal romance/suspense story, you know Anna is going to live. But her way from her kidnapper to there is a bit more uncertain seeing she ends up with a really closed group that does not like outsiders.

It is in this closed group that Anne meets Mr. Right. Of course, her relationship with Gabriel (mr right) is going to be rocky to begin with. Meeting Mr. Right does not mean that Anna’s mystery is solved/over. Weird things come her way adding to the suspense.

Bevill writes a really good mystery with plenty of crazy and questions that need answering. A good light read.

Adventure, Fantasy, Reading together, Romance, Young Adult

Britain, Kristen: First Rider’s Call (Green Rider) (2003)

2013-02-19 humanitysdarkerside 2 Comments

Behind the Wall by Special-Sari

Deviant Art has tons of fan-art for Kristen Britain. I found this gem depicting Alton’s struggle.

I just finished reading First Rider’s Call out loud to my son. Like Green Rider, First Rider’s Call is audio-friendly. Kristen Britain writes in a manner that makes it a delight to read aloud.

First Rider’s Call begins with the Journal of Hadriax el Fex. My son felt it would be more appropriate for him to save that story until its natural place in the book. It worked out well for him.

Leaving Hadriax el Fex’s journal for later had us starting the tale at chapter two. Karigan gets her call to return to the Green Riders, a call she has been resisting for a year. The manner in which she responds is well-thought out by Ms. Britain. From there on Karigan is thrown into one life-threatening situation after the other. I am so glad I am not Karigan. Along the way she is helped by Lil Ambriodhe – the First Rider. In Green Rider we saw Karigan interacting with ghosts and matters have not changed much in First Rider’s Call.

Blackveil wakes and sends its tendrils of magic into Sacoridia through the breach waking creatures better left sleeping. With this awakening we find the abilities of the Green Riders becoming unreliable. In Captain Mapstone’s case that causes trouble for the whole of the Green Riders. What will they do????

Like Green Rider, First Rider’s Call deals with a lot of loss and grief, but also with hope and friendship. Having to face their fears makes a difference in who various characters become. Realizing how far loved ones will go and deciding how to deal with them leads to difficult choices.

Life is like that. Yet, like many of the characters in First Rider’s Call, all we have to do is dare see ourselves for who we are. We might not be pleased with the result, but it does open up doors to new worlds.

My reviews of books 1 (Green Rider), 2 (First Rider’s Call), 3 (The High King’s Tomb) and 4 (Blackveil)

Fantasy, Romance, Thriller, Young Adult

Angell, Lorena: A Diamond in my Pocket (The Unaltered I) (2012)

2013-02-06 humanitysdarkerside 4 Comments

A Diamond in my Pocket is book one of The Unaltered Series.

What would you do if you one day discovered you had an unexpected ability? Like running fast, really fast. Fast enough to break the world record. It would be a great ability to have if you had to run away from trouble (or maybe to).

Callie Courtnae suddenly discovers this ability and is asked to join a school in Montana that specialises in youth with record-breaking abilities. She goes and discovers that the people at her school are extraordinarily beautiful and a lot quicker than she herself is. Hmmm, I smell a rat.

The premise for A Diamond in my Pocket is pretty good. It is difficult to come up with something new in the world of fantasy. But Angell manages to put a couple of twists in that I don’t think I’ve read before. However, however, however. The characters needed a bit more work and the novel tightening. I wish A Diamond in my Pocket could have fulfilled its potential, because it did have plenty of that.

Fantasy, Mystery, Romance

Rowland, Diana: Touch of the Demon (2013)

2013-01-29 humanitysdarkerside 1 Comment

Cover art: Daniel dos Santos

Diana Rowland keeps on getting better by the book. Touch of The Demon is the best novel thus far in the Kara Gillian series. We have arrived at book no. 5 in the series and have at least one more to go. The other four are: Mark of the Demon, Blood of the Demon, Secrets of the Demon and Sins of the Demon.

The cover is taken from one of the scenes in the novel. This scene is one of the more action-filled ones. Action is something Touch of the Demon has plenty of. There is everything from snow-ball fights to flesh-carving. Some of the violence is quite explicit and so is some of the sex.

When Kara gets stuck in the demon realm, she discovers that her pre-conceptions about demons are quite faulty. I guess we all experience that when we are faced with the objects of our prejudices. Often, we have to revise our point of view. Some of us do it well, while others have to struggle. Kara struggles with the way she views the motives behind various actions.

Another thing I enjoy about Rowland’s writing is the way she deals with concepts of friendship and loyalty. What is friendship? Is it possible to be friends in spite of being from different races? How do you deal with betrayal of epic proportions? Reading Touch of the Demon will answer how Kara views these issues.

Rowland’s writing is tighter than ever and her text is reaching the point of flowiness that I claim is necessary for the exceptional writer.

Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult

Jordan, Robert and Sanderson, Brandon: A Memory of Light (Wheel of Time) (2013)

2013-01-29 humanitysdarkerside Leave a comment

Holy, freaking cow. Wow. Fabulastic.

First of all – the cover. Michael Whelan is the artist. When you go to this link you will get a look at how cover artists work and how little they actually get to work with. And still he manages to provide something that captures the dynamics of the novel.

My goodness, what an ending to a series I have loved. I do not think I was alone in worrying when Brandon had to finish the Wheel of Time series. My worries were laid to rest with his first installment: The Gathering Storm. A Memory of Light is amazing. No wonder Sanderson teaches creative writing.

What is it that makes A Memory of Light so good? As I have told you in my About page, I am terrible at analysing. Really, really bad. But there are aspects to the art of writing that I might have gotten a feel for.

A Memory of Light is tight. It’s not difficult to see that this novel must have been edited time and again to get that flowy feeling that I always go on about. There are very few mistakes and Brandon shows us that you can write a novel more than 900 pages long and still feel as though you could have read more.

The jump from character to character is flawless. Perrin‘s over-carefulness, Mat‘s playfulness, Egwene‘s “I know best” attitude and Rand’s “I must die” attitude are all incorporated into the writing without detracting from the plot.

Be prepared for fighting, lots and lots of fighting. We are, after all, at the ending of the world and the final battle. People die. People I have grown to care about. I hate that, because I really do love the quirky set of The Wheel of Time. But I see the necessity of it. I still hate it.

Once again we are exposed to friends who betray and friends who risk their lives for you. In a sense, that is what The Wheel of Time has been about for me. This group of four (five) characters from Two Rivers stays loyal to each other in spite of huge differences of opinion. Friendship, what a precious gift to bestow on each other.

I am going to say something I do not often say: Please read A Memory of Light. You’ll have to read the first 13 novels for it to make sense, but it will be worth it. That is how good I think A Memory of Light is.