Review: Immortal City by Scott Speer

Immortal City by Scott Speer

• Pub. Date: April 3, 2012
• Publisher: Razorbill
• Pages: 336
• Series: Immortal City #1

Jackson Godspeed is the hottest young Angel in a city filled with them.

He's days away from becoming a full Guardian, and people around the world are already competing for the chance to be watched over by him. Everyone's obsessed with the Angels and the lucky people they protect - everyone except for Madison Montgomery.

Maddy's the one girl in Angel City who doesn't breathlessly follow the Angels on TV and gossip blogs. When she meets Jackson, she doesn't recognize him. But Jackson is instantly captivated by her, and against all odds the two fall in love.

Maddy is swiftly caught up in Jackson's scene, a world of glamour, paparazzi - and murder. A serial killer is on the loose, leaving dead Angels' wings for the police to find on the Walk of Fame. Even the Guardians are powerless to protect themselves in the face of this threat & and this time it's up to Maddy to save Jackson

First Line: : "At 3a.m., the Pacific Coast Highway was nothing more than a grey ribbon winding through the ocean fog."

Review: 

For some reason even though I am tired of reading angel books I still pick them up hoping for something new and original and Immortal City did a great job in putting a new spin on angels. I don't think I've ever come across a book in which angels only save you if you can afford to hire them to be your personal guardian angel. They are not this divine and all out good save the world type angels, they are in it for themselves and are the worlds biggest celebrities. And believe me when I tell you Speer's did a fantastic job describing what their red carpet lives are like.

This book could have been 5 stars all the way but there were flaws one being the main character and her indecisiveness with Jackson Godspeed the most famous soon to be guardian angel. One minute she wanted to be with him and the next talked herself out of it because she couldn't imagine a simple human girl and an angel ever working out. It got annoying but once she finally got over it I started to like her more. As for Jackson, he was well fleshed out and some of his actions made him a hundred percent swoon worthy.

Besides the romance between the two there was also a murder mystery going on as well. Someone was killing the angels in a very gruesome manner. I found the murders interesting but not the detective who was investigating it all, which ruined a little of it for me since at times I just wanted to skim past it but knew I had to read it if I wanted to know what was going on with the angel killings. I do give it up to Speers I really was in the dark until the end when it came to who the murderer was, I didn't see that one coming at all. But what I did see coming a mile away was Maddy and her big revelation at the end.

Even though I had the issues that I had with the book somehow it still worked. At the end of it I still came out feeling like I read a book that was worth the read and I didn't waste my time.

Review: Gilt by Katherine Longshore

Gilt by Katherine Longshore

• Pub. Date: May 15, 2012
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Pages: 416
• Series: The Royal Circle #1

 In the court of King Henry VIII, nothing is free—
and love comes at the highest price of all.

When Kitty Tylney’s best friend, Catherine Howard, worms her way into King Henry VIII’s heart and brings Kitty to court, she’s thrust into a world filled with fabulous gowns, sparkling jewels, and elegant parties. No longer stuck in Cat’s shadow, Kitty’s now caught between two men—the object of her affection and the object of her desire. But court is also full of secrets, lies, and sordid affairs, and as Kitty witnesses Cat’s meteoric rise and fall as queen, she must figure out how to keep being a good friend when the price of telling the truth could literally be her head.

First Line: :"You're not going to steal anything."


Review:  It's really hard to believe that Gilt was Katherine Longshore's debut novel, the writing was well perfected and you would think she has been doing this for years. Gilt is set during the Tudor Era and Longshore kept the tale of Cat and Kitty very engrossing right to the very end.

Gilt is about Kitty Tylney and Cat Howard who also was in real life the fifth wife of King Henry VIII. The story starts off with the two only dreaming of being part of Court life and then thanks to Cat's charming and mischievous ways their dreams become reality. Cat becomes queen and makes her closest friend Kitty one of her chambermaids. And what follows is a whole lot of lies, betrayal, deception and scandal mixed in with beautiful gowns, handsome men, and lavish parties.


If you know history you know things don't end too great for the characters in this book I was actually left feeling a little sad and I hate the fact that I got no closure with Kitty's character as far as her love life went. It was all very bittersweet.

As far as the characters are concerned I could not stand Cat she was just so vile, spoiled and rotten to everyone around her especially Kitty who already had no backbone when it came to their friendship and allowed Cat to take advantage of her in well...everything. Kitty was loyal to the core to Cat even at times when she should have been selfish and for once thought about her happiness. When it comes down to it Gilt was centered around their friendship. That is what kept me reading. The relationship between the two girls fascinated me while pissing me off at the same time.

In the end I loved reading Gilt. Even though I've been reading a lot of paranormal and fantasy books lately my love for historical fiction still remains. I did know some facts about King Henry the VIII wives but thanks to Longshore and her ability to captivate me with this era after reading the novel I researched more about him and his wives and learned a great deal about them. I highly recommend this book it did not disappoint even with a doormat of a character like Kitty I still found myself rooting for her till the very end.

Review: Shaedes of Gray by Amanda Bonilla

Shaedes of Gray by Amanda Bonilla

• Pub. Date: December 06, 2011
• Publisher:  Signet Eclipse (Penguin Group)
• Pages: 316
• Series: Shaede Assasin #1

http://amandabonilla.com

In the shadows of the night, Darian has lived alone for almost a century. Made and abandoned by her former love, Darian is the last of her kind—an immortal Shaede who can slip into darkness as easily as breathing. With no one else to rely on, she has taught herself how to survive, using her unique skills to become a deadly assassin.
When Darian's next mark turns out to be Xander Peck, King of the Shaede Nation, her whole worldview is thrown into question. Darian begins to wonder if she's taken on more than her conscience will allow. But a good assassin never leaves a job unfinished...

First Line: I live in the gray.


Review: I've had Shaedes of Gray sitting on my shelf since December of last year when it was released. When I bought it I was excited to dive into it but sadly I just now got around to reading it and I wish I did read it when I had bought it because Amanda Bonilla did a really great job in this new Urban Fantasy series. It was fast paced full of supernatural beings of all different kinds, great action scenes, and a plot that held my interest to the very end.

I've never read about Shaedes so this was a new concept for me. Darian is a Shaede meaning one who at night can walk in shadow form while in the day light is confined to her corporeal form. She was not born one but was created close to a century ago when Azriel her maker rescued her from her human life where her husband Henry liked to use her as his very own personal punching bag. Sadly Azriel soon abandoned her as well and she existed for a century working as an assassin and thinking she was the only one of her kind left.

Darian was a strong female but yet we still saw her vulnerable sides. After being burned by those she trusted she kept everyone at a distance. Including Tyler who lets just say is not what he seems. I really enjoyed being inside her head even if she swears like crazy at times.

There are two love interests the main one is Tyler who apparently when you open up the book there is already an established connection between the two. I found this a little getting used to but it didn't take away from the book for me. The other interest is Xander the King of the Shaedes. I personally wasn't a fan of him, and Darian makes it pretty clear she doesn't care about him either. Honestly I really didn't understand where or how Xander's affections developed for Darian one minute she is working for him the next he is confessing how much he wants her. Personally I like the Tyler and Darian match he just has a more likable nature.

Shaedes of Gray wraps up nicely although there were a few things left unresolved which will obviously be addressed in Blood Before Sunrise the next book in the series.


Memorable Quotes

"I carried, tucked inconspicuously beneath my coat, a dagger and a short saber slung across my back. I never use guns-too impersonal."

"Could I leave even if I wanted to? In to deep already, I'd been sucked into a world that might not let me go." 

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Review: Archangel's Blade by Nalini Singh

Archangel's Blade by Nalini Singh

• Pub. Date: September 6, 2011
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Pages: 336
• Series: Guild Hunter #4

http://www.nalinisingh.com

" The severed head marked by a distinctive tattoo on its cheek should have been a Guild case, but dark instincts honed over hundreds of years of life compel the vampire Dmitri to take control. There is something twisted about this death, something that whispers of centuries long past...but Dmitri's need to discover the truth is nothing to the vicious strength of his response to the hunter assigned to decipher the tattoo.


Savaged in a brutal attack that almost killed her, Honor is nowhere near ready to come face to face with the seductive vampire who is an archangel's right hand, and who wears his cruelty as boldly as his lethal sensuality...the same vampire who has been her secret obsession since the day she was old enough to understand the inexplicable, violent emotions he aroused in her.


As desire turns into a dangerous compulsion that might destroy them both, it becomes clear the past will not stay buried. Something is hunting...and it will not stop until it brings a blood-soaked nightmare to life once more..."

First Line: "Papa! Papa!"


Review: Archangel's Blade was about Dmitri, so lets just recap on him and what we have learned about him in the previous books...Dmitri is vicious, at most times cruel, merciless, and someone even though he may be sexy as hell, is someone that if you were to see him you should for your own safety run the other way. Yep that about sums him up.


I really wasn't that thrilled when I learned the fourth book was going to be about Dmitri mainly because of how cruel he was to Elena but Nalini Singh has somehow done it again and after reading Archangel's Blade Dmitri is now my second favorite right after Illium of course. Singh did a great job of still keeping Dmitri as we have gotten to know him in the past books while making him more "human". She did this by letting us learn about his past through his memories and all I have to say is my heart was breaking for him the deeper I got inside his head.


As for Honor she is a survivor. She survived being brutalized by vampires and even though she is still scarred by it she is not letting it stop her from getting on with her life. What really made me love her is the fact that she had no fear of standing up to Dmitri.


If you haven't started this series I highly recommend it. Archangel's Blade was a great addition to the series it was full of vengeance, heartache, and believable characters. I would have rated this five stars but the ending was wrapped up too quickly especially with the big reveal. Not giving spoilers but it had to do with Honor and Dmitri's relationship.


Memorable Quotes: 

~Raising his hand, he rubbed a finger on his cheek, came away with a dark red slick on his fingertip. "Something about me seems to make women want to use knives."

~"Some battles," she said softly, holding that gaze full of secrets so very old, "a woman has to fight on her own."

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