Robin in the Hood (by Diane J. Reed)

Posted on May 18, 2013 by setaian

Young Adult

“Okay, we’re gonna give out this money to whoever our hearts see fit.” His gaze was so keen now it made me quiver. “But Robin, I want you to take a really deep breath.” He paused, waiting for me. “‘Cause the feeling you’re about to get right now––well, you’e gonna remember this night for the rest of your life.”

After her father suffers a stroke Robin quickly discovers that her step-mother has run off, they have no money and both the mob and the police are after them. She bundles up her father, steals a Mazda Miata and goes on the run. They end up in a trailer park inhabited by a loveable bunch of misfits and miscreants.

They share what they have and care for each other and before long Robin starts to see them as family. But one of her neighbors has cancer and they desperately need money to pay for her treatment so Robin teams up with Creek to take a little money from the rich bad guys and redistribute it to the not so rich.

Robin in the Hood is a modern retelling of the Robin Hood story with a completely nutters band of merry men (and women). It’s light and fluffy Young Adult fiction with a very healthy dose of magic.

“Wait, what do I do?”
“You git on a helmet honey!” crackled a voice in the darkness. Granny Tinker appeared next to us with a pot on her head. She shoved one onto mine. “This here’s WAR.”

Neanderthal seeks Human: a smart romance (by Penny Reid)

Posted on May 12, 2013 by setaian

Contemporary Romance

He looked lost and a little vulnerable. Smash, smash, smash.
I took this opportunity to rapidly pull on some sweatpants and a sweatshirt from my suitcase. The sweatshirt was on backwards, with the little ‘V’ at the back and the tag in the front, but I ignored it and grabbed a jacket from the closet behind me and soundlessly slipped it on too.
He walked to the window and surveyed the view as I hurriedly pushed my feet into socks and hand knit slippers, given to me by Elizabeth last Christmas.
I was a tornado of frenzied activity, indiscriminately and quietly pulling on clothes. I may have been overcompensating for my earlier state of undress. However it wasn’t until he, with leisurely languid movements, turned toward me that I finally stopped dressing; my hands froze on my head as I pulled on a white cabled hat, another gift from Elizabeth.

On the worst day of her life, Janie discovers her boyfriend had sex with another woman; she was fired from her job; found herself in a toilet cubicle with no toilet paper; and was escorted from the building by the security guard she has been secretly lusting after.

Quinn, the aforementioned security guard isn’t just a guard, he owns the company. He makes stone faced stoicism an art form and nobody is able to break through his tough shell. Until Janie that is. With her insecurity and habit of spouting odd trivia she manages to draw him out and get him talking. He starts sharing things with her that he has kept hidden from everyone.

Neanderthal Seeks Human is everything I expect from contemporary romance. It’s cute and quirky with likeable characters. The story isn’t overly complicated but it’s told well and is a lot of fun. A book you can’t put down.

Adorkable (by Sarra Manning)

Posted on May 6, 2013 by setaian

Jeane has always been the weird girl at school. Her hair is often the result of failed dye jobs, she wears second hand clothes, the previous owner of which may or may not have had an incontinence problem. She stands out and is proud of it, but she is shunned by her classmates.

That has never been a problem for her, she is a blogger who has a worldwide following and is in high demand on the conference circuit where she speaks about youth-culture.

Michael is her exact opposite, he is in the cool group at school, wears designer labels and generally tries to fit in.

When Michael’s girlfriend hooks up with Jeane’s boyfriend they find themselves crashing into each other with increasing frequency. Both refuse to admit their attraction but they just can’t keep their hands off each other.

Adorkable is great. It’s intelligent, snarky and snappy young adult fiction about two mismatched people who actually fit together very well if they will ever admit it.

A Witch’s Handbook of Kisses and Curses (by Molly Harper)

Posted on April 29, 2013 by setaian

After the death of her grandmother, Nola becomes the head of her coven of witches. Her first duty is to travel from Ireland to Half Moon Hollow, Kentucky and retrieve four magical items –– talismans that contain the power to bind their arch rivals, a coven of witches who would use their powers for evil.

On arrival she literally runs into Jed, her enigmatic neighbor who goes to ridiculous lengths to avoid being outside when the moon is out. He’s hiding something but exactly what it is she can’t quite figure out.

Molly Harper returns to Half Moon Hollow, Kentucky for what I think must be the sixth or seventh novel. I honestly have no idea how she does it. This series should be getting tired but once again she manages to deliver a book that enthralls from beginning to end with a very healthy dose of Molly Harper’s trademark snark. She’s a favorite author and this book is a good example of why.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and Pocket Books for providing me with this ARC

Levitating Las Vegas (by Jennifer Echols)

Posted on April 22, 2013 by setaian

At the age of 14 both Holly and Elijah suffered mental breakdowns. They have been on medication ever since. But when they are forced off their meds by a delayed shipment, they realise their delusions might not have been delusions at all.

Levitating Las Vegas is difficult to define and almost impossible to review. It’s Mandrake the Magician, meets X-Men, meets Barbarella. There is some serious mind f_ckery going on in this book and at times it’s a very uncomfortable read…and there are times which are just so bizarre I have no idea what to do with them.

The ratings for this book are all over the place and I can see why. It’s a book you’ll either love or loathe, there won’t be any in-betweens.

Many thanks to Pocket Star Books and Edelweiss for providing me with this ARC

The Dukes Tattoo (by Miranda Davis)

Posted on April 13, 2013 by setaian

Disgraced many years earlier by the Duke of Ainsworth, Prudence Haversham has resigned herself to living as a spinster, but she’s not averse to exacting her revenge on the man who sullied her reputation. Her co-conspirotors drug and kidnap him and put a ribald tattoo on his private parts.

The Duke of Ainsworth is determined to track down the culprits and exact his own revenge, but the only clues he has are Prudence’s startling blue / green eyes which he caught a glimpse of through his opium haze, and a jar of medicinal cream.

When he finally tracks her down he sets his plans into motion, but she isn’t at all what he expected and as they clash wits he comes to value her and then love her.

I don’t really read historical romance. I’ve tried a few times but my over-active imagination gives all the characters bad teeth and the smell you would expect when you consider toilet paper wasn’t invented for another 100 years. But this book is great fun…it works on nearly every level. I even started to enjoy the language which admittedly took a little getting used to. It’s a game changer, one of those rare books that can introduce people to a new genre of fiction.

If I have one criticism, it’s the cover. Great book, but the cover is a disaster.

Binds (by Rebecca Espinoza)

Posted on April 7, 2013 by setaian

(Disclosure: Rebecca Espinoza is a Goodreads friend of mine. Because I have that relationship with her I was a bit nervous about reading this, her debut novel and I read it quietly and without telling anyone.)

“Mages are split into two groups, Naturals and Ascendants. When a Natural is born, they already have all of the ability that they will ever have in their lives. They can’t acquire any new abilities and they can’t perform Binds on anyone. Ascendants, on the other hand, come into their powers around the age of five. They all have a certain level of power. Some children will show an immense amount from the get-go…”

Ophelia is a mage of unparalleled power. As a child her mother placed binds on her powers in the hope of hiding her from those who would use her. But after her mother disappeared she found herself in the hands of the very people her mother was trying to protect her from. After escaping with her chauffeur she enters into an underground she never knew existed, and discovers she is the main weapon of an army that aims to overthrow the tyranny of her husband and his father.

This book is kind of amazing. I read books that come out of major publishers that aren’t as polished as this independently released novel. OK, it’s a debut novel and as you would expect her influences come through in this book and occasionally they come through quite strongly…but this book completely blew me out of the water. In 10 years time I think I’m going to be the coolest person in the room when I say, ‘Oh Rebecca Espinoza? I knew her way back when.”

On the Jellicoe Road (by Melina Marchetta)

Posted on April 5, 2013 by setaian

At the age of 11 Taylor was abandoned by her mother on the Jellicoe Road. Now 17, the closest person she has had to a mother for the past 6 years, Hannah has disappeared without a trace. As Taylor starts to pull at the threads she finds that her past is interwoven with that of five friends who met on the Jellicoe Road nearly 20 years earlier.

It’s hard to avoid superlatives when talking about this book. It’s nothing short of a masterpiece. From page one I was completely drawn in and overwhelmed by Taylor and her friends.

5 Amazing Stars.

On the Plus Side (by Tabatha Vargo)

Posted on March 24, 2013 by setaian

Lilly is young, plus size woman. She is wealthy and has close friends but on a deeper lever she is lonely and has resigned herself to being the woman men don’t see.

Devin desperately needs to find $8000. The bank is threatening foreclosure on the home and business he shares with his father and young sister, and if he doesn’t pay up they’ll be on the street with nothing. When Lilly’s mother offers to pay the loan if he’ll date her daughter it’s an offer he can’t refuse.

As he gets to know Lilly he realizes she is the woman for him, but for there to be any hope of a future he needs to come clean.

On the Plus Side is cute and quirky contemporary romance with a bit of a sting in the tail. It deals in part with issues of self-image, of bullying and violence against women but it manages to address those issues without ever getting bogged down in them. It is a light and fluffy read and well worth the effort for fans of contemporary romance.

Deadly Sting (by Jennifer Estep)

Posted on March 9, 2013 by setaian

Gin Blanco (the Spider) returns in this the 8th instalment in Jennifer Estep’s Elemental Assassin series.

In Deadly Sting, Gin finds herself attending the gala opening of an exhibit of Mab Monroe’s collection of art, jewellery and other artefacts. But when a gang of giants hold up the venue and take all the guests hostage, Gin finds herself once again cast in the role of rescuer.

There is nothing subtle about this book. It’s violent, brash and in your face. Jennifer Estep beats you down with words in much the same way as her protagonist takes down her enemies with her collection of five silverstone knives.

Deadly Sting is great urban fantasy. It doesn’t try to be too tricky, just delivers what fans of the genre expect.

Many thanks to Pocket Books for providing me with this ARC.

floatingleaves.net

Mostly Books

Author Archives: setaian