Tag Archives: paranormal romance

Accidental Sire (by Molly Harper)

Posted on by
Reply

Paranormal Romance

After being mortally wounded in a freak ultimate frisbee accident, Meagan finds herself the newest vampire at the University of Kentucky. But she’s not just any vampire. Someone has messed with her DNA and made her into some sort of super-vampire. She’s faster and stronger than the average vampire and unfortunately she’s also managed to turn her would be boyfriend on her very first undead day.

With two super vampires and no idea how it happened the head of the vampire council, Jane Jameson steps in and takes them under her wing. They just need to survive scientific curiosity, someone who is up to no good at the University of Kentucky and Jane’s very huggy friends.

The Accidental Sire is an entertaining book, a book that is fun and funny, but I wouldn’t describe it as a good book. It is a little rushed in the first and last chapters and in some ways it feels like it’s “by-the-numbers” Molly Harper.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s good and well worth the effort. It’s not a 5 Star book but it well deserves the 4 Stars I’m giving it.

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

Yellow, Orange, Red – What it means. YOR-Guide

Where the Wild Things Bite (by Molly Harper)

Posted on by
Reply

Paranormal Romance

Delivering a rare book to a valued customer is definitely part of mild-mannered archivist Anna Winthrop’s job description. You know what isn’t? Protecting her precious cargo from mid-flight theft by the very pilot who is flying her to Half-Moon Hollow…while trying to appear as unappetizing as possible to the only other passenger, a vampire. Undead bookstore owner Jane Jameson could be waiting a very long time for her book. Possibly forever.

Fortunately, Anna’s dashing fanged companion Finn Palmeroy helps her fend off the attack, but not before their plane crash lands in the forest hundreds of miles from civilization. Great, now she’s stranded with a priceless tome and a rakish vampire whose bedtime is fast approaching. Why does everyone want this book so badly, anyway? Anna just wants to get it to Jane before Finn decides to turn her into dinner –– or sweep her off her feet. Okay, the second option is really tempting. But they’re not out of the woods yet…

There are some very real challenges in writing a much loved series like this one.  As the series progresses more characters are added and the author needs to write their stories and still somehow find time to give fan service to the older characters.  Characters and stories need to evolve but good luck getting that past the diehard fans without blood being spilled.

For the most part Where the Wild Things Bite delivers.  All the old characters we love and get their moment in the sun…errr….moon without in anyway detracting from the story which belongs to Anna and Finn.

If I have a criticism it’s that the first act where Anna and Finn find themselves going all Bear Grylls in the wilderness took up too much of the book.  The last third however was superb and more than made up for it.

Position in Series: Book 5

molly

 

 

 

 

1 –– The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires
2 –– A Witch’s Handbook of Kisses and Curses
3 –– The Dangers of Dating a Rebound Vampire
4 –– The Single Undead Mom’s Club
5 –– Where the Wild Things Bite

Screen Shot 2015-11-28 at 6.44.49 PMOrange, Red, Yellow. What it means: YOR-Guide

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

 

 

Fangs for the Memories (by Molly Harper)

Posted on by
Reply

Paranormal Romance

After being used and abused by her former lover, Andrea is shy of relationships. The last person on earth she wants to have anything to do with is Dick Cheney who reminds her more than just a little of the asshat who broke her heart.

For his part Dick knows Andrea is skittish and makes every effort to woo her without frightening her. However it remains to be seen if his redneck charm, his whacky t-shirt collection and his 1973 Chevrolet El Camino are enough to win her.

Dick Cheney and Andrea have been supporting characters throughout Molly Harper’s Jane Jameson and Half Moon Hollow series’. Finally after 8 books we get the story that everyone has been waiting for. How Andrea and Dick Cheney became a thing.

Fangs for the Memories is on the shorter side of novellas coming in at just under 90 pages. It has Molly Harper’s trademark snark and wit and is an entertaining though very quick read. With books this short I always look at the price before I recommend them. The Kindle version is available for around $1.40 which in my opinion is a fair price for a novella from an author as classy as Molly Harper. An audiobook version narrated by the truly amazing Amanda Ronconi is also available for a few dollars more.

So no complaints from me. A great little book, a fair price, and I’m tempted to buy the audiobook just because Amanda Ronconi really is that good.

Screen Shot 2015-11-01 at 10.26.54 PMMany thanks to Pocket Books and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC.

Orange, Red, Yellow. What it means:  YOR-Guide

The Single Undead Moms Club (by Molly Harper)

Posted on by
Reply

Paranormal Romance

Shortly after her husband died, Libby was diagnosed with terminal leukaemia. But facing her own death isn’t the worst of it, when she dies her precocious 5 year old son will go to her parents-in-law. Her rigid judgemental dogmatic parents-in-law.

The knowledge that her son’s expressiveness and imagination will be snuffed out and he will be turned into a “man’s man” forces Libby to do something she would never have dreamed of. She puts an ad on Craigslist for a vampire to turn her into one of the undead.

But if she was expecting life as one of the undead to be easy she’s in for a surprise. Not only are her parents-in-law suing for custody, she’s being hunted down by an assassin, fending off the attentions of two very different men and dealing with life errr, death as a new vampire. Not to mention that vampirism is not an excuse to get out of organising the pumpkin patch prizes and regular PTA meetings.

Molly Harper is a talented writer. Her stories are filled with snark and humour, they’re entertaining and honestly she can’t put a foot wrong in my opinion. The Single Undead Moms Club is great from the first to the last page.


Screen Shot 2015-10-30 at 9.24.32 PMOrange, Red, Yellow. What it means:  red-orange-yellow-guide

(note: I know that love triangles are triggers for a lot of people, but the triangle in this book is very much under-played and it’s hard to see it causing offence)

From Russia with Claws (by Jacey Conrad)

Posted on by
Reply

Romantica / Romantic Suspense

After studying in California Galina returns to her home in Seattle to help out with the family business. That business being crime. She is an alpha-werewolf and a part of the Russian mob. When her sister’s abusive husband is killed she enlists the help of Audrey Lupesco, the brutal boss of the Roma mob to investigate.

Adding to her woes, it quickly becomes apparent that her brother is completely unhinged and unless something is done he will take over the family business and usher in an era drenched in blood. Galina has some plans for the family but the Russian mob is conservative and patriarchal. As a woman not only does she have to fight for a seat at the table, she will need to challenge her brother in a fight to the death if she’s to have any hope of taking over.

 
What you really need to know about this book is Jacey Conrad is Molly Harper and there is a reason she’s writing under a nom de plume. While the book does have Molly Harper’s trademark wit, it’s much more violent and sexual than her usual offerings. I can’t be sure of this but I suspect some of the lower ratings this book is getting is a reflection of Molly Harper’s diehard fans getting offended by the content.

Honestly it’s pretty damned brilliant, but if you want cute and quirky you’ll probably want to look elsewhere.


Screen Shot 2015-08-31 at 6.20.31 pmOrange, Red, Yellow. What it means:  red-orange-yellow-guide

Once Haunted, Twice Shy (by H.P. Mallory)

Posted on by
Reply

Paranormal Romance

In exorcising a demon from her home, Peyton found herself inadvertently possessed by the ghost of a French speaking New Orleans police officer who died in the early 20th century. Now she can connect to the spirit world and all the ghosts of the city are running scared.

It soon becomes clear that something is very wrong and the demon they exorcised has decided to make the streets of New Orleans run red with blood, starting with Peyton.

There is a lot going on in Once Haunted, Twice Shy. At times it felt like a little too much, like there were too many players. Presumably H.P. Mallory is setting the scene for future books but that busyness didn’t help this story. Added to the mix this book has a love triangle of sorts (do I have to call a four sided love triangle a square?) which is one of those tropes I don’t particularly like.

That said, despite the shaky start, the book ended strongly with a voodoo battle to end all battles. If you like voodoo, ghosts and demons in your pages, this is a pretty good read.

Screen Shot 2014-02-16 at 4.32.33 pmMany thanks to Montlake Romance and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC

Yellow, Orange, Red –– what it means: http://wp.me/P2B7b5-9l

Better Homes and Hauntings (by Molly Harper)

Posted on by
Reply

Paranormal Romance

Trying to rebuild her business after her former business partner decided to ruin her reputation and send her to the wall, Nina accepts a job away from the city restoring a mansion on an isolated island. Together with a very small team they are restoring the house and gardens which have stood deserted for more than 100 years. But they quickly encounter a malevolence that is haunting the house.

As they work, they begin to uncover a story of murder, betrayal and a curse that has passed down the generations. Now it seems that the ghost has decided to focus all of its fury on Nina.

victorian
Better Homes and Hauntings is such a great book. Molly Harper writes with an intelligence and wit that is refreshing and completely addictive. This book actually has a slow build to the story which I haven’t noticed in her previous books and it took a little commitment, especially in those early chapters, but once I was hooked that was it, I just couldn’t put it down.

 

Screen Shot 2014-03-17 at 5.42.32 pmMany thanks to Pocket Books and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC.

Yellow / Orange / Red –– What it means. http://wp.me/P2B7b5-9l

Ghouls Rush In (by H.P. Mallory)

Posted on by
Reply

Paranormal Romance

After escaping her domineering husband, Peyton moves into a rundown antebellum home left to her by a distant aunt. Needing to keep herself busy she decides to restore the home to its former glory and manages to get Ryan, a specialist in restoring homes to take on the job.

She soon discovers the home is haunted by Drake, a policeman who died sometime in the early 20th century, and as he visits her in her sleep a story unfolds about a series of brutal murders which terrorised the people of New Orleans in nearly 100 years earlier. And it’s possible that Peyton has inadvertently invited the spirit of the murderer into her home.

She finds herself caught between a ghost who is protecting her from the malevolence that has entered her home and the contractor who is still mourning the loss of his wife.

Ghouls Rush In is quite a surprising book. It wasn’t till page sixty that the ghosts arrived, until then it felt very much like a renovation romance. Even then it seemed liked a fairly cute and harmless ghost story. But at the half way mark it definitely got creepy. There were things going on in this book that had cold shivers running up and down my spine.

 
It’s really very good, and if books about ghosts, spirits and voodoo sound like your thing, this is definitely one of the better ones I’ve read.

 

Screen Shot 2014-03-17 at 5.42.32 pmMany thanks to Montlake Romance and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC

Yellow / Orange / Red –– What it means. http://wp.me/P2B7b5-9l

 

Night Broken (by Patricia Briggs)

Posted on by
Reply

Paranormal Romance

Christy, Adam’s ex-wife, shows up in pack territory after her latest lover turns seriously weird on her. Adam, a natural protector puts her up but she immediately starts subverting Mercy’s position in the pack. Then the crazy stalker guy shows up and the body count rises.

I read Moon Called, book one in the Mercy Thompson series a while ago, but despite enjoying the book a lot I walked away. The main reason was the price of the Kindle version is about 50% more than a paperback and it seemed a bit unfair paying more for something which essentially costs the publisher a fraction of the price. Anyway, that just goes to say I haven’t read any other books in the series except book 1.

This book is good. It’s great fun but it doesn’t quite work as a stand-alone. If you like paranormal romance…if you like books about vampires, werewolves, shifters and fae, this book is for you. But I think the series needs to be read in order and If spending something like $85.00 buying eight books makes you blanch, there are other much cheaper options. Faith Hunter’s Skinwalker series is every bit as good in my opinion and half the price.

Screen Shot 2014-03-17 at 5.44.24 pmYellow / Orange / Red –– What it means. http://wp.me/P2B7b5-9l

 

How to Run with a Naked Werewolf (by Molly Harper)

Posted on by
Reply

Paranormal Romance

Anna gave up the life she knew to escape from her violent husband. On the run she has moved from town to town, escaping in the night every time her husband came close to finding her.

Caleb is is a bounty hunter just on the shadier side of the law. He’s also a werewolf. When a collection goes wrong and he gets shot, and nearly run over (twice), Anna steps in and saves him. Unfortunately in the course of her rescue, her car and all her possessions go up in flames. Desperate to get to Anchorage so she can collect her new identity and find another bolt hole, she reluctantly agrees to join him on the road.

How to Run with a Naked Werewolf continues the story of the Graham Pack of loveable but slightly redneck werewolves in Grundy Alaska. Think less Twilight and more Duck Dynasty. It’s what Molly Harper does best, cute and quirky romance with snark. She has the remarkable ability to blend a moral message into her stories without ever sounding like she’s preaching.  Another great book from one of my favorite authors.

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