Title: Bonds of Justice

Author: Nalini Singh

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: 6th July 2010
Paperback: 368 pages

Max Shannon is a good cop, one of the best in New York Enforcement. Born with a natural shield that protects him against Psy mental invasions, he knows he has little chance of advancement within the Psy-dominated power structure. The last case he expects to be assigned is that of a murderer targeting a Psy Councilor’s closest advisors. And the last woman he expects to compel him in the most sensual of ways is a Psy on the verge of a catastrophic mental fracture…

Sophia Russo is a Justice-Psy, cursed with the ability to retrieve memories from men and women so twisted even veteran cops keep their distance. Appointed as Max’s liaison with the Psy, she finds herself fascinated by this human, her frozen heart threatening to thaw with forbidden emotion. But, her mind filled with other people’s nightmares, other people’s evil, she’s standing on the border between sanity and a silken darkness that urges her to take justice into her own hands, to become judge, jury…and executioner…

Stand alone or series: 8th book in the excellent Psy/Changeling series

How did I get this book: An arc from the author

Why did I read this book: I love, love, LOVE this series!

Review:

The Psy/Changeling series is one of the two ongoing PNR series that I still faithfully follow (the other being Meljean Brook’s Guardian series) . Bonds of Justice is the 8th book in the series and it has not only a great romance between a human and a Psy but also proceeds with the ongoing arc with both threads being woven together seamlessly with the rest of the series – which is why I love these so much.

Each book in the series follows a theme (or at least I read them as such) and this time around it is the concept of Justice and its many forms that grounds the characters and the plotlines. Starting with the protagonists of the piece: Max Shannon, a human cop whose impenetrable shield makes him the perfect person to work alongside the Psy; and Sophia Russo, a Justice-Psy, whose ability to retrieve memories from criminals is both gift and curse. The former because it allows for hardened criminals to be put away and present an integral part of the Justice system; the latter for every J-Psy comes with a use-by date as the psychic result of immersing oneself in these memories invariably results in madness and mental collapse. Sophia’s mind is close to that final stage and she will be due in for comprehensive rehabilitation – in which her mind, memory and personality will all be but erased –very, very soon.

When these two are chosen to work together on a serial killer case and later for Psy Councillor Nikita investigating some of the deaths that have occurred in the past books of the series, they have an immediate connection. Max understands and recognises Sophia’s plight and his protective instinct kicks in almost immediately. Sophia on the other hand, at the breaking point, desperate for someone who will remember her when she is gone, responds to this by wanting to really connect with someone for the first time. Their story is beautiful and unique in the series: Max is less alpha than the other heroes and has a nurturing side that really appealed to me. Sophia is another Psy facing the abysm but the abysm she faces is slightly different than for example the one faced by Sascha or Faith. Both are also distinct n their physical representation. Max is part-Asian (Nalini Singh is great with adding diversity to the series ) and Sophia is scarred – truly deeply so: her face is full of scars which are the result from a horrible experience in childhood.

As much as I liked the romance (whoa: HOT), my favourite part of this book was truly the exploration of the idea of Justice and all that it involves and how it all fits with the overall story arc; from equity (not all Psy are created equal, what does that mean?) to ethics and the difference between Justice and Punishment (a very thin line that all J-Psy walk on) ; to the ideal of peace between races but also peace for all Psy who are starting to realise that Silence is actually an impossible dream ripe with unfairness and injustice. I loved seeing how the Councillors are siding with or against each other and I can’t wait to see the outcome of this. This is actually one of the reasons why I loved the resolution of the novel. It presented me with a HUGE surprise because so far, all of the Psy wanting out of the Silence also had to get out of the Psy-net. This is an impossibility for Sophia because her mind turned out to be essential for the Psy-net to even exist. I believe the solution is part of a larger plan that definitely involves Councillor Nikita and I admired Nalini Singh for going there and attempting something new. It fits with the rest of the series even if departs from the usual resolution for the Psy-cases. I think it provides hope for the Psy as a race that is not all made of villainy and this is definitely something I want to see.

The rest of the grand finale was slightly too perfect for my ever changing tastes, I felt like a pony would ride into the room at some point and poop rainbows all over Max, Sophia and someone else who shall remain unnamed. I also would love, given the high stakes and the ever present sense of danger, to see something truly horrendous to happen to make it even more REAL. In that sense, I wished that in one particular sequence, a couple we all love and care for had in fact suffered the attack they were under. It would have killed me to see them hurt (mind you, key word here is “hurt”, not killed because I am NOT THAT CRAZY) but I think it would make the series even greater.

In any case, another great book in one of my favourite series. I am glad there is another one coming out this year!

Notable Quotes/Parts:

It was as she was sitting staring into the face of a sociopath that Sophia Russo realized three irrefutable truths.

One: In all likelihood, she had less than a year left before she was sentenced to comprehensive rehabilitation. Unlike normal rehabilitation, the process wouldn’t only wipe out her personality, leave her a drooling vegetable. Comprehensives had ninety-nine percent of their psychic senses fried as well. All for their own good of course.

Two: Not a single individual on this earth would remember her name after she disappeared from active duty.

Three: If she wasn’t careful, she would soon end up as empty and as inhuman as the man on the other side of the table…because the otherness in her wanted to squeeze his mind until he whimpered, until he bled, until he begged for mercy.

“Evil is hard to define, but it’s sitting in that room.”

Verdict: Max and Sophia are a great addition to the Psy/changeling canon and overall, Bonds of Justice is a great read that adds a necessary turn of events to the overall story arc.

Rating: 7 – Very Good leaning towards a 8

Reading next: Behold the Man by Michael Moorcock

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

We have TWO copies of Bonds of Justice to giveaway to two lucky winners. To enter, leave a comment here telling us which is your favourite book in the series so far. The contest is open to residents of the US and Canada ONLY, and will run until Saturday July 10th at 11:59pm (pacific). One comment per person, please! Multiple entries will be disqualified. Good luck!

Title:Demon Blood

Author: Meljean Brook

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: July 6th 2010
Paperback: 448 pages

Long before she was transformed into a Guardian and trained to fight demons, Rosalia knew darkness all too well. Raised by a demon, Rosalia learned to guard her heart—and her soul—until she found a man worthy of her love. Once, she thought that man would be the powerful vampire, Deacon…until he betrayed the Guardians.

After losing everything to the lies of a demon, Deacon lives only for revenge—and is taken aback when Rosalia offers to help. A vampire who has nothing—who is nothing—isn’t worthy of her attention. But Rosalia wants to do more than just look, and the explosive need between them can’t be held in check. And when Deacon’s vengeful quest creates a dangerous alliance of their enemies, she will be his only hope…

Stand alone or series: Tenth story in the Guardian series, and the sixth full-length book. If you are starting here (although you are SO missing out if you are), you can read the author’s excellent primer here.

How did I get this book: An ARC from the author

Why did I read this book: Because I will read ANYTHING Meljean Brook writes.

Review:

WARNING: Since Demon Blood is the 7th book on an ongoing series, this review contains necessary spoilers for previous books, especially Demon Forged. If you haven’t read Demon Forged and plan to, STEP AWAY NOW. Reading this review will completely SPOIL it for you and that book should not be spoiled. You have been warned!

I am going to skip the usual intro in which I say how much Meljean Brook’s writing and I have crazy chemistry and go really well together ( like rice and beans – if you are Brazilian, you will understand this comparison – or fish and chips) and how Demon Blood is another example of how incredibly smart her writing is.

Instead, I will jump straight into business. In Demon Forged, shit hit the fan. BIG TIME. Loads of people died, including several vampires and a Guardian, there is one crazy Gregori on the loose, the Nephilim are coming to get everybody, Belial may or may not be about to take over Hell. Above all, The Doyen, Michael, also sort of died and is currently trapped in Hell and the new Doyen, Taylor, is a newbie Guardian. Things could not be worse in the Guardian universe.

And you can blame it all on one man: Deacon. A vampire leader who, in order to protect his own community and the ones he loved was led by a demon to betray the Guardians causing the aforementioned to happen and in the end, the demon repaid him by slaughtering his community and his two companions anyway. He was left for dead – a death he welcomed due to his failure – but eventually saved by a Guardian named Rosalia only to walk way as soon as he was able to.

Six months later, all that keeps Deacon alive is his need for revenge as he travels around Europe killing demons. This serves Rosalia really well: she has a master plan and Deacon is instrumental to it, if only she can convince him that she needs his help and his alone.

Demon Blood is probably the most emotionally raw, the most dramatic of the books in the series so far when it comes to its central pairing. If Demon Forged was essentially a Big Picture book without losing sight of the romance, Demon Blood is a Romance book who never loses sight of the Big Picture. And it is all down to the fact that the protagonists are broken: truly, deeply so. How many times have I read books in which the big bad hero doesn’t think he is good enough for the heroine? Or a heroine who has never been loved and wants that more than anything? Many times, and it always bugs me to no end when the reasoning for those are so lame. Not here.

In Deacon’s case he REALLY IS NOT good enough for her. He is totally screwed up inside, so full of self-loathing that he acts the part of the bastard he believes himself to be for the entire novel. Rosalia on the other hand, compensates her lack of being loved by managing and manipulating everybody, I would even go as far as to say that her past actions with regards to Deacon – for she has known him for nearly 90 years – were downright stalkery. The two characters are stripped naked to each other and to the reader and it takes great writing skills to turn these two around in a way that is believable. Kudos to Meljean for, instead of making me want to cut Deacon’s balls off or to tell Rosalia to dry her tears, she actually made me care – and deeply – for them. Rosalia believes in Deacon and sometimes that is all that takes to fix a broken man. Deacon believes that Rosalia is worthy of love so much so that he thinks he is beneath her, that’s how grand he thinks she is.

I am not sure I can say that Deacon and Rosalia are likeable characters though and I struggled with writing my thoughts on them. Worried that readers might be put off by this statement when this is by not, by any means a negative statement, not in this case. Yes, Deacon is not as easily likeable as say, Drifter or Jake. Rosalia is not immediately strong as Irena or Lilith. But it does not matter – what Brook does here is a masterful character study and it presents a more complicated, difficult yet very rewarding read. Picture this: Deacon is essential to Rosalia’s her plan because he is broken, persona non grata everywhere. But her plan is twofold because she plans to bring him back from the abyss as well: she needs to use what is the worst thing about him to bring out his best.

The point I am trying to make became very clear to me yesterday when by sheer luck I came across this article about Unlikeable Female Protagonists by Courtney Summers. Sometimes it is not about connecting or liking a character for ourselves; sometimes is about character development, and story and enjoying them for what they are to the point where,

“how much someone is given–regardless of how nice they are or aren’t–in terms of love and support isn’t up to us, unless we’re the ones doing the giving.”

Or to also quote Louis CK:

“Well, I think “likability” is an overused word. I don’t watch people ’cause I like them; I watch them because they’re compelling. Sympathetic is a little different. It’s like I understand this person, and I never know quite what they’re going to do and I’m really interested in what they might do next and they feel real to me. That’s, I think, way more valuable than likable. Likable just thins you out…”

I love these two quotes and I think they are perfect for the matter at hand. They also tell me how much Meljean Brook has grown as an author and how many risks she will take to remain faithful to her story and to her characters.

And this is not the only risk she takes here. Rosalia’s plan, as genius and impressive as it is in its simplicity (and I love that it is HER plan, ie the female character’s) results in the most anticlimactic outcome for one of the most important things in this world. I won’t spoil but I will admit that I did a double take. However, in taking this risk, Brook has cleared the field and opened up the board for a major showdown and one that WILL mean something. If this was a chess game, I would say: the pawns are all out, only the major players remain and you know what? This is a good thing. She also takes on the loaded issue of motherhood and how /why Guardians cannot (and should not) have children and addresses it beautifully to the point of bringing me to tears.

I can’t finish my review without mentioning the SHEER AWESOMENESS of the Taylor/Michael situation, as it is gripping, suspenseful and I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN OH MY GOD PLEASE LET IT BE ALRIGHT. Did I ever say that Brook is a clever writer? Scrap that – she is brilliant: Michael may be in hell but it does not mean that he is not around. In fact, I might have learnt more about him here than I ever did.

And it is from Taylor the best quote from this book:

that’s not going to happen, because there’s going to be a whole lotta motherfucking Guardians standing in the way

I can’t wait to see what happens next. Two more books to go.

Notable Quotes/Parts: The aformentioned quote happens in the final pages and that scene was all kinds of awesome. Also: CERBERUS!

Verdict: I have lost the count on the amount of times I have said that this series is consistently good, incredibly awesome and extremely well-written with great characters and this brilliant overarching plot. It should come as no surprise then that Demon Blood is another strong entry in the series. For all the reasons aforementioned.

Rating: 8 – Excellent

Reading Next: Bonds of Justice by Nalini Singh

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

We have TWO copies of Demon Blood to giveaway to two lucky winners. To enter, leave a comment here telling us which is your favorite book in the series so far. The contest is open to residents of the US and Canada, and will run until tomorrow, Saturday July 3rd at 11:59pm (pacific). One comment per person, please! Multiple entries will be disqualified. Good luck!

This is our brand new segment in which our delightful buddy Harry, from Temple Library Reviews will be joining us once a month to review paranormal romance from a guy’s perspective. But we will let him introduce himself, please let’s give a warm welcome to Harry!

*******

Harry: I’m the newest honorary addition to the Book Smugglers team [honest to God, I smuggle books home and then lie straight to my family's face about it]. I get the chance to play here at their blog once a month and my small spot will be called ‘A Dude Reads PNR’. The idea came to be in December, when I posted my Sherilyn Kenyon review and people were interested to see the male POV about Paranormal Romance. The public demands, the attention whore (that’s me) begs, and the smugglers comply.

*******

Title: Tempt Me Eternally [second part of Deep Kiss of Winter]

Author: Gena Showalter

Genre: PNR

Publisher: Pocket Books
Publication Date: October 2009
HC: 170 pages

Stand Alone or series: Stand alone, but a small part of an on-going story. The other story in the collection, Untouchable by Kresley Cole, has been reviewed by Ana here.

Aleaha Love can be anyone — literally. With only skin-to-skin contact, she can change her appearance, assume any identity. Her newest identity switch has made her an AIR (alien investigation and removal) agent and sends her on a mission to capture a group of otherworldly warriors. Only she becomes the captured. Breean, a golden-skinned commander known for his iron will who is at once dangerous and soul-shatteringly seductive, threatens her new life. Because for the first time, Aleaha only wants to be herself….

How did I get the book: Vortex during winter solstice. It’s the time, when bookstores align with the universe and expel the unneeded books from their warehouses. I bet you had no idea, did you?

Review:

When I received the opportunity to include a novel from my unread stash, I didn’t think as to which author to pick. Gena Showalter possesses an innate ability to balance action with romance, so that the reader is comfortable with both elements. What could possibly go wrong? Showalter has danger and sex. It seemed as a wise choice at the time. But surprise, surprise. Her 170 pages long Tempt Me Eternally left me so utterly bored and disgruntled that I considered sleep as a more productive alternative.

Yes, I am in the beheading move, so let’s proceed with the positive elements so that I can focus on what drove me to the brink of sanity as a reader. First, the whole story in this is a huge shoutout to Alien Huntress fans. They will feel in their waters knowing more than the regular reader. There are recurring characters and the plot is based on the central conflict of the series: arrival of an alien queen, who brings cannibalism as a STD. Gena Showalter ’s prose is solid, while her sex scenes are ever so inventive.

But “Tempt Me Eternally” is 90% sex or deals with thoughts or actions related to sex. It reads like a porn script, which can easily sell on the hentai market [I am referring to the bath tub scene, where Breean possesses Aleaha and gets her to masturbate for him, while he is inside her body]. I don’t mind the kink. I also am not against the sex, but what I am against is malnourishing the story to the point, where suspension of disbelief vanishes and the reader questions whether the book is going anywhere.

Gena Showalter allowed that to happen [as opposed to her earlier work] and decided to use Aleaha and Breean’s back stories in order to justify the instant sexual magnetism. Yes, Breean has not slept with a woman for more than two years and yes, Aleaha is starved, because she lacks the control over her shapeshifting, which makes sex dangerous for her. And yes, I’m aware that Breean emits heavy duty pheromones, but as far as priorities go sex goes dead last, when survival is at hand. Both characters need to survive.

Breean has set up a home on Earth, so until his new home is secured, this mission should come first, while Aleaha needs (1) to free herself as she is a captive and (2) preserve the truth about herself. You would think that both individuals would fight each other, until one dies, so that they achieve that goal. No, that would be wrong. What is most natural to happen is that both start dry humping from the get-go. Aliens invade Earth. You are the last standing member of resistance and the aliens desperately desire to be on your planet. I am more or less dumbfounded as to how both characters could not stand in character, especially when the author stresses how they should be focusing on their missions.

Yes, Gena Showalter is clever enough to add the pheromones as a catalyst to overpower all rational behavior. It’s part of the worldbuilding. But after that Aleaha does not really think about her duty, responsibility or the teammates, who are locked in a dungeon. She doesn’t act to free herself and the agents. Yes, Aleaha is said to do so, but I didn’t believe her. It just didn’t sound any bit convincing. When the big scene came, when she almost kills Breean in order to free her team, I was far from being emotionally involved. Because, (1) I’m far from convinced warring enemies could fall in love in the course of a week [imagine, you being held hostage and falling in love with your captor during war. Hey, the world is a funny place after all] and (2) it’s not really love, but Stockholm Syndrome.

I decided to consider it Stockholm Syndrome and attribute the mushiness to Aleaha being unstable. Fast-forward, the escape is far from a raging success and it’s time for Breean to punish Aleaha for her initiative to finally do something other than orgasm. What happens is more sex… At which point I am face-palming a lot. The ending lacks a climax that is jaw dropping, twisty or exciting. Instead, everything turns out okay. Everybody has forgiven everybody else. You can practically feel how AND THEY ALL LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER will write itself in pink.

Verdict: I wanted to be civil. But I couldn’t be. This was intolerable. Gena Showalter can do better as she is gifted and had the right material and elements to make this a spicy and adrenaline-filled read. But she wanted to do her thing in just 170 pages, which is simply not enough to work.

Rating: 4 Bad, but not without some merit

Reading next: Harry will be back in August with a review of THE BLOODGATE GUARDIAN by Joely Sue Burkhart

You can read all of Harry’s reviews here.

This is our brand new segment in which our delightful buddy Harry, from Temple Library Reviews will be joining us once a month to review paranormal romance from a guy’s perspective. But we will let him introduce himself, please let’s give a warm welcome to Harry!

*******

Harry: I’m the newest honorary addition to the Book Smugglers team [honest to God, I smuggle books home and then lie straight to my family's face about it]. I get the chance to play here at their blog once a month and my small spot will be called ‘A Dude Reads PNR’. The idea came to be in December, when I posted my Sherilyn Kenyon review and people were interested to see the male POV about Paranormal Romance. The public demands, the attention whore (that’s me) begs, and the smugglers comply.

*******

Title: Sunrise in a Garden of Love & Evil

Author: Barbara Monajem

Genre: PNR

Publisher: Love Spell Books
Publication Date: April 2010
MMP: 317 pages

Stand Alone or series: Stand-alone-ish

Dark secrets abound in the town of Bayou Gavotte, Louisiana, from blackmail to fetish clubs to murder, and when blood-and-love starved vampire Ophelia Beliveau calls the police to scare away whoever is desecrating her garden, Detective Gideon O-Toole unearths more than he ever dreamed.

Why did I read the book: I wanted a different sort of a protagonist and Ophelia is a gardener, which seems galaxies away from the leather clad killer chicks.

How did I get the book: Ana, people. Stop asking that. Geez.

Review:

I had reservations about “Sunrise in a Garden of Love and Evil” for the obvious reason. I’m jaded as far as law enforcement characters are concerned. Detectives, private investigators and officers give my eye corner a stylized nervous tick, which I enhance with a glamorous, tortured smile. However, I was invited to this barbeque, which happened to be hosted in between the pages of this book and like “Sunrise in a Garden of Love and Evil”.

To further exploit the simile, “Sunrise in a Garden of Love and Evil” many highlights, where you cheer over a steak after Great Uncle Earl told a mildly inappropriate joke. You observe how the teen cousins are torn between mischief and maturity. Grandma Pearl is awfully sweet and this night can be easily used for a Coca Cola campaign. But after the moonshine hits the table, you learn why Uncle Bill is not allowed to drink and then talk politics and why that rotten Dewey, that cousin twice removed, shouldn’t be invited at all.

To speak straight, “Sunrise in a Garden of Love and Evil” is a good novel with deficiencies, which for different readers will push different buttons in weird combinations. The romance in the novel is treated with the old kiss-then-slap approach, which made me groan as much as it showed me how good the author is with her characterization. Ophelia and Gideon are both stubborn, strong willed, loud-mouthed Southerners. This works in the general sense. I have no issues with them individually. The motivation behind their actions is more than logical and consistent. And yes, given their habit to receive whatever they have set out to get, it’s more or less expected for them to collide on the relationship front and struggle for dominance. Call it aggressive courting. To recap, every move they make is not devout of sense, but honestly how many times can two people fight, warm up to each other and progress to a verbal standoff. And how many times can misunderstanding, lack of knowing personal facts about one another be the cause for the bigger spikes.

Yes, we are talking about the span of a few days, which to some would seem realistic, for they are seldom enough to explore a person. But after awhile, the moments become tiresome as the pattern in their interactions become repetitive. What jarred my reading for a long time was the river scene. Both Gideon and Ophelia were endangered and could die. I mean, Gideon was shot and survival instinct dictated that they frantically search for a cover. What do they do? They have sex. Then they nap… Naked… On a river bank… With a sniper on the loose.

I give Monajem the two thumbs up for following the rules she established in her world. To be a vamp is to be a semi-supernatural mutant. You get the fangs. You get the taste for blood and your spit has minor healing properties. The worst/best perk is that you are a sex magnet. And vampires need to either drink blood or have sex on a constant basis to function as normal and inconspicuous people. Ophelia is somewhat of a vegetarian and has taken a pause from sex, so when she sees musky Gideon with a flesh wound, magic happened. It’s a sound situation, but I am still not convinced that sex trumps survival.

That aside, Monajem writes strong, three dimensional characters. Ophelia is a gardener and you can feel her passion, her dedication and how affected her livelihood is by everything that happens. Details about plants, pots, trees and soil pop up all the time and give a unique flavor to the reading experience. Gideon on the other could seem standard alpha male material. He’s the womanizer and playboy of a cop, but Monajem manages to expand on the archetype with a close and personal intrusion into his childhood as the foundation of his current behavior.

I can continue in the same vein, discussing the various secondary and even episodic characters and I have paragraphs about each. Starting from Ophelia’s family [her half-sister Violet and her niece Zelda] and then moving to Gideon’s family [his sister Artemisia, who by the way was the sole character to annoy me after the bad guy], the Bayou Gavotte underworld leaders [Leopard and the charming Constantine Duffray], the Wyler family [they seem to be take up the antagonist spot] and even Jennie the dispatcher, who was charmingly cheeky. All these names may not speak anything to you know, but will make your reading even more enjoyable.

“Sunrise in a Garden of Love and Evil” is vibrant, because it embraces the world unfiltered. Monajem snares details and discreetly stores them within the prose, which becomes potent, if not with the long-winded lyrical eloquence I am partially addicted to. I could not fathom how Monajem manages to include Gretchen, Gideon’s favorite dog, into the story and make me like it, as I have an allergy, when it comes to animal protagonists. But Monajem never forgets anything happening in a scene and this quality to her writing immerses the reader as it projects a visual.

For the record, I knew, who the villain was. Thank you, Scooby Doo for that vital skill. But I failed to connect the dots, surrounding Ophelia’s big dark secret.

Verdict: I was torn between giving this novel a 7 or a 6, but settled down with the lower grade. Yes, Monajem offers an interesting take on vampires that does not involve the end of the world or anything that comes close. Monajem portrays a South I would love to be a part of, but even though I liked the chemistry between the couple, the relationship dynamic seemed repetitive and the outcome a bit unrealistic for the time span given. Marriage after only three days is a bit fairy tale material. And I consider Artimisia to be a character created as a plot device. She seemed less fleshed out and her actions served the purpose of swapping information between Ophelia and Gideon in order for them to warm up to each other again.

Rating: 6 – Good, recommended with reservations.

Reading next: “Deep Kiss of Winter” – I tackled the Gena Showalter piece.

This is our brand new segment in which our delightful buddy Harry, from Temple Library Reviews will be joining us once a month to review paranormal romance from a guy’s perspective. But we will let him introduce himself, please let’s give a warm welcome to Harry!

*******

Harry: I’m the newest honorary addition to the Book Smugglers team [honest to God, I smuggle books home and then lie straight to my family's face about it]. I get the chance to play here at their blog once a month and my small spot will be called ‘A Dude Reads PNR’. The idea came to be in December, when I posted my Sherilyn Kenyon review and people were interested to see the male POV about Paranormal Romance. The public demands, the attention whore (that’s me) begs, and the smugglers comply.

*******

Title: The Shattered Sylph

Author: L.J. McDonald

Genre: PNR

Publisher: Leisure Books
Publication Date: April 2010
MMP: 321 pages

Stand Alone or series: 2nd Book in a Series

Years after Eferem and the battle on the Cliffs, Ril is a free Sylph, living with the man he still calls his master in Sylph Valley. Only Ril doesn’t care about his freedom. Instead he’s a broken creature, crippled in that final battle and, in his own mind, useless.

However, when Leon’s oldest daughter Lizzy is kidnapped by slavers and taken halfway across the world, Ril is the only one who can track her. Together, he and Leon follow to a world alien to both of them, following a bond Ril’s not willing to admit to, even in the depths of his own heart.

Why did I read the book: If you recall, I read book numero uno in the series and fell in love. It was quite romantic. Me, on a chair, near the fire place, with light from the fire on the pages and the magic happening between the covers. So, why the heck not repeat?

How did I get the book: Aha. Ana tricked the bad Post Office and its conspiracy by sending it along with last month’s pick and next month’s pick. Now, I am most certain that the Post Office is planning on revenge, but let’s worry about that happening in June.

Review: Dear Reader,

I will whisk you away on a magical journey through lands of wonder, magic and cruelty. I’m not kidding. It was magical. L.J. McDonald snares you up, drags you from your cozy chair and saddles you in break-neck paced story for the second time with her second book in series “The Shattered Sylph”.

What I loved is still present. McDonald continues to impress with well constructed characters in a packed, dynamic chain of events, while she teleports from narrative to narrative in what seems nanoseconds. As you know, this technique makes for a fast reading, but as with the first book, it is exhausting and certainly doesn’t allow for a moment, in which the reader can take a break. This is beyond staccato, people.

Let’s see, now. In “The Battle Sylph” we left Solie, who had become a hive queen, in the newly formed Valley of the Sylphs to rule the people and their sylphs. Several years pass before the events in “The Shattered Sylph” can take place. The limelight, however, graces Leon’s family. Lizzy has grown into a spirited, if not entirely sensible, young woman and it’s her wanderlust that has her reduced into a slave, shipped off to the corrupted Meridal Empire in the South and ends in the harem, devised especially for the needs of the Empire’s Battle Sylphs. In the mean time Leon [her father], Ril [his Battler], and Justin [the youth, who wants to marry Lizzy, but is also to blame for her abduction] embark on a three man rescue mission.

“The Shattered Sylph” promises a fairly simple plot, but we are treated to a complex network of entwining narratives, which make the escape seem like Mission Impossible meets Oriental folklore ala 1001 Nights. Through Lizzy’s eyes we see the face of Meridal, which is ingenous as it is cruel. McDonald goes through lengths to emphasize that her world is not restricted to the already established cannons and the relationships between master and sylph as well as the sylph’s practical applications can be stretched to as far as the imagination can go. Meridal is an oasis in the dessert, because of the utilization of sylphs as remote controlled assets and in order to keep up the inventive productivity of sylphs people are turned into slaves [Feeders] with their tongues cut out or are locked inside harems to satisfy the sexual urges of Battlers.

The worldbuilding stunned me and kept me turning pages. Lizzy’s life as a concubine, though monotonous, immerses the reader into the sense of captivity, the dangerous small acts women and Battlers alike perform to create brinks in the flawless prison. In this sense, McDonald is a natural at portraying demographics. Leon’s struggles to remain unseen in Meridal introduce the reader to the lower classes in this society, who are starving and mistreated as much as the sylphs are. But how the hardships have opened their hearts to charity. Through Ril’s captivity as the Empire’s favorite, we sense the decadence with which Battlers are treated as gladiators and executioners.

‘But why do you stall, Harry? All this world-building is awesome and such, but we want the romance.’ *imagines the audience groan*

Be patient, faithful readers, for the romance cometh. I wanted to build suspense. As you may have gathered, Lizzy gets it on with Ril. In “The Battle Sylph” McDonald alluded towards a possible love interest between the two, but since Lizzy was twelve at the time, the reader had to wait until the romance could be considered legal. Unlike the love story between Solie and Heyou, Ril and Lizzy unite somewhere in the middle and although they have physical contact, the focus falls on the inner forces within their hearts. While Solie and Heyou had to withstand outside forces [not get killed], Ril has to come to terms with his self-esteem after the crippling events from “The Battle Sylph” and Lizzy has overall doubts whether Ril has any feelings for her. An extra tension is created, when Leon enters the picture. Because he is Ril’s master, he can order the battler to stay away from his daughter. In a sense, there is an emotional triangle between Battler, master and daughter, which I find endearing. You’ll love it.

I found that Justin as a character was redundant. It was obvious from the moment he let Lizzy be kidnapped that he had no place in her life. I felt from Lizzy that Justin was not going to be her choice for a man. His inclusion in the rescue mission seemed pointless, apart from acting as a contrast for Ril to shine. Most of the story he is useless. Justin remains in captivity, while Ril and Leon actively try to help Lizzy and throughout the story he is largely forgotten. Even in the end, he is not mentioned much, only as an afterthought.

Also, there is an issue with a déjà-vu. In “The Battle Sylph” Solie becomes queen and through her reign she rights all the wrongs done to the oppressed and creates a miniature haven for the good people. In “The Shattered Sylph” Meridal falls because a harem slave ascends to status of a queen and rights all the wrongs. It’s a given that this was a subplot and it received enough foreshadowing to not slam the reader as a dues ex-machina, but I hope the third installment does not rely on this model of problem solving.

Verdict: The Shattered Sylph remains a pleasure to read like its predecessor. It can be funny, dynamic, scary, emotional and engrossing. Sure, there are a few kinks here and there, but overall a good addition to your library.

Rating: 7 – Very good

Reading next: “Sunrise in a Garden of Love & Evil” by Barbara Monajem

This is our brand new segment in which our delightful buddy Harry, from Temple Library Reviews will be joining us once a month to review paranormal romance from a guy’s perspective. But we will let him introduce himself, please let’s give a warm welcome to Harry!

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Harry: I’m the newest honorary addition to the Book Smugglers team [honest to God, I smuggle books home and then lie straight to my family's face about it]. I get the chance to play here at their blog once a month and my small spot will be called ‘A Dude Reads PNR’. The idea came to be in December, when I posted my Sherilyn Kenyon review and people were interested to see the male POV about Paranormal Romance. The public demands, the attention whore (that’s me) begs, and the smugglers comply.

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Title: Demonkeepers

Author: Jessica Andersen

Genre: PNR

Publisher: Signet
Publication Date: April 6th 2010
MMP: 448 pages [in the Uncorrected Proofs]

Stand Alone or series: 4th Book of the Novels of the Final Prophecy

Lucius is an Indiana Jones wannabe who never quite measures up, until a twist of magic brings him powers beyond belief… and reunites him with Jade, the one-night stand he never forgot.

Despite the sizzling chemistry between them—and the added power that comes with a love match—Jade is determined to prove that she’s more than a researcher … she can be a Nightkeeper warrior in her own right.

But as the two race to rescue the sun god himself from the underworld, they learn that kicking ass isn’t enough. They’ll need all their brains and skill—and the long-denied love that burns between them—to foil the dark lords’ plot.

Why did I read the book: Ana [of course] e-mailed with some brainstorming to do about my next public event and this one popped in the discussion. I remembered that once, distant in the past, but not so long ago, I had come across this series. There was a good déjà vu [the warm sort] about the choice, even if I did plunge while the series had gained momentum.

How did I get the book: This pink-bound book possibly traveled more than I ever did or will in my entire life. Judging by the post-it note saying ‘Forward to: The Dude’, I say that it flew all the way from Jessica herself [gasp at my Sherlock Holmes deductions] to Ana and then to me. It almost came too late [the Bulgarian Post is plotting against me and my schedules, for they are so awesome], but I managed.

Review: I did not know what to expect, when I opened that parcel and saw a PINK book. I am a non-pink person so that posed a certain amount of tension. Call me racist. I don’t care. But I opened the book, started reading and *cue geek moment soundtrack* I was enthralled. I admit I had a little help from ‘Florence + the Machine’ as the official reading music for this novel, which heightened the experience for me. Call it enhanced reading.

As I am typing, I am literally using my last available minutes before my deadline manifests as reality, so I am dropping the silliness [blame the POST OFFICE] and will cut straight to the chase. Jessica Andersen is a name you should remember and then scout for in the bookstores, because her Paranormal Romance is unlike most of the books slotted in the category. First, I was hooked immediately and it has a little bit to do with the ‘booty call’, but a whole lot more to do with Andersen’s ability to built a character, who feels tridimensional. Conveying a real person right from the get-go, one which I have not met [because I have not read the previous titles] is a trait I admire in an author. Then of course another strong trait I reveled in was the language itself. Thank you, Miss Andersen, for giving your characters a broader vocabulary, because if I had read another PNR/UF spunky dialogue scene 101, I would have imploded in a dust of sparkle dust.

Demonkeepers reads like a character study, which is, both, a good thing and a not so sweet of a deal. All the Nightkeepers, saviors of the Earth from the Mayan Apocalypse in 2012, read as if they are all real, flesh and bone, complex and full of contradictions, honest-to-god human beings. With sex, mating and sacred bond between a man and a woman being integrated into the rituals and culture of the Nightkeepers, the interactions between the characters as well as the relationship dynamics read a bit differently. They pose different challenges and problems, which lack in the standard PNR mold. The new setting, mythology and angle, with which the romance is treated, cardinally change how Demonkeepers feels as PNR and in the good sense at that as well. In the end, if you take away the speculative out of the book, this would read as one of those drama series that get done and win Golden Globes, but still do not come close to the original books.

On to the not-so-sweet aspect, I have to say that this is slow paced. Internal monologues ran a tad too long for my patience. While I am rooting for Jade and Lucius, after page 200 I grew a bit tired with how one tenderness scene triggered several paragraphs of personal introspection before, during and after. Yes, Lucius and Jade do not have it easy and their predicaments with Lucius having flirted with the dark side and Jade wanting to be an A-lister predispose for these moments. Yes, the human mind is brimming with thousands thoughts, sensations and memories, which is clever for Andersen to capsulate with a kiss. And sure, active sexuality is the trigger to both characters’ magic and intimacy is tied with power. But in the end, the effect bogs down the pacing [despite adding depth and layers to the story] and the number of pages, where something adrenaline and dynamic happens is slimmer than the character growth through conversations and internal analysis. Is this bad? No, but unusual for me as a reader.

Also, for anybody, who would like to start this series from the middle: First, it is doable and Andersen does a fine job of raising key moments that transpired in previous installments or I would not be doing this review in the first place. Make sure you read the Glossary in the back, because this will be your guide, if you are new to the series. For those that are following it, I suppose this is a pretty strong sequel in what is a very refreshing series.

Verdict: Demonkeepers is an introverted novel. It doesn’t rely on a staccato pacing. Nor does it have many confrontations and assassinations to act as a catalyst for the characters’ growth. It is fresh, different without being outlandish and out-of-place within the genre. I recommend it, because the quality of characterization and motivations is above average and memorable.

Rating: 8 – Excellent

Reading next: The Shattered Sylph by L.J. McDonald

We have a very special giveaway today. To celebrate the recent release of Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole, the newest in her Immortal After Dark series, we are proud to announce that Simon and Schuster are giving away TWENTY copies of the novel especially to our readers!

Here is the rundown.

THE BOOK:

Pleasure of a Dark Prince

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: February 2010
Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages

Stand alone or series: Installment 9 in the Immortals After Dark series

#1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole enraptures again with this seductive tale of a fierce werewolf prince who will stop at nothing to protect the lovely archer he covets from afar.

A DANGEROUS BEAUTY…

Lucia the Huntress: as mysterious as she is exquisite, she harbors secrets that threaten to destroy her — and those she loves.

AN UNCONTROLLABLE NEED…

Garreth MacRieve, Prince of the Lykae: the brutal Highland warrior who burns to finally claim this maddeningly sensual creature as his own.

THAT LEAD TO A PLEASURE SO WICKED….

From the shadows, Garreth has long watched over Lucia. Now, the only way to keep the proud huntress safe from harm is to convince her to accept him as her guardian. To do this, Garreth will ruthlessly exploit Lucia’s greatest weakness — her wanton desire for him.

THE AUTHOR:

Before becoming a writer, Kresley Cole was a world-ranked athlete and Master’s grad. Since her first novel was published in 2003, she has sold a total of fifteen books and two novellas in two different subgenres, and has seen her releases translated into ten foreign languages.

She lives in Florida with her husband and far, far too many dogs.

You can read more about the author on her website, where you can also find out more about the IAD series.

THE GIVEAWAY:

We have 20 copies up for grabs! To enter, simply leave a comment here tellings us which Immortal After Dark book is your favorite . Contest is open to all and runs till the end of the day today, March 6th, 11:59 (PST). Only ONE comment per person! Multiple entries will be automatically disqualified. Good luck!

Howdy! We were supposed to post a review of Spider’s Bite by Jennifer Estep today but unfortunately, we will be unable to do so because the book has yet to reach me in the UK even though Thea has shipped it over three weeks ago. At the moment we suspect that the UPS and the Royal Mail have come together in a Conspiracy to Drive Us Mental. (It is working.) We plan to post the review as soon as we possibly can.

Meanwhile, we decided I should post my review of New Blood instead – as an introduction to our upcoming Steampunk Week.

Title: New Blood

Author: Gail Dayton

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Tor
Publication Date: March 2009
MMP: 512 pages

Stand alone or series: Part of a series but the romance is stand alone

In 1636, the last blood sorceress was burned at the stake. More than two hundred years later, her blood servant Jax has found her successor. Amanusa at first turns down the opportunity to learn what she perceives as an evil art. But she craves justice, and innocent blood cries out for justice.

When Amanusa looses magic on those who’ve harmed her, she must flee for her life across a devastated Europe with Jax, who is inescapably bound to her by blood and magic. Their journey takes them through zones where everything—including magic—has died, zones populated with strange creatures cobbled together of things left behind by the dead.

Needing each other for their very survival, Amanusa and Jax grow ever closer on their journey to discover answers – about magic, blood sorcery, the dead zones, and even love.

How did I get this book: I Bought my copy (but the author sent a copy to Thea when she sent us ARCs of the second book.)

Why did I read this book: I bought this book as soon as it came out. I loved the cover and the reviews have been mostly positive. I kept it aside for a Steampunk week all this time. Yes, I did.

Review:

WARNING! THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!

New Blood is a book I have long desired to read and had great expectations for. I bought it as soon as it came out last year and because I saw it described as Steampunk in a few places (including the author’s blog), I set it aside as a Must Read for an eventual Steampunk Appreciation Week, an event we had been planning for a long time. As we finally set the date for the event ( shameless plug: March 7th – 13th) , New Blood was the first, out of a long list of books, I read for the event. Why then, you must be asking yourself, do I review it before Steampunk Week?

Because this book is many, many things – a Paranormal Romance / Fantasy and a giant mess of frustrating disappointment but not, and I cannot stress this enough, Steampunk.

Because it is not enough to set a book in the 19th century and to have a couple of machines that go clankety clank around and that’s it, let’s call it Steampunk! Woohoo! Not when the book is first and foremost about magic, when the characters know nothing about the aforementioned machines, which means that the technology, if we can even call it that, is not an elementary part of their world – it is something that scares and befuddles the characters because it is something that is anti-magic and unnatural to the point that the book almost reads like an example of anti-Steampunk.

Now that I got this off my chest, what is the book about?

Magic. And truth be told, it starts well enough. It’s Europe, 19th century and there are four types of magic: alchemy, wizardry, conjury, and sorcery and only men are allowed to practice them. The first three are the most commonly used and sorcery, or Blood Magic, has been lost to the world ever since the last known sorceress Yvaine has been murdered. Turns out, Blood Magic has only ever been practiced by women because well, women are used to bleed every month and therefore are less squeamish about it. (Yes, seriously.) A Blood sorceress uses blood magic (by using blood fluids – any of them) to practice magic. They can cure people by riding the blood (it involves making them drink a bit of her blood so is able see inside their bodies for injuries) for example. But Blood magic can also be used to bring justice as the sorceress can ride their blood to see the crimes they committed.

As the book opens, Yvaine’s (the last known sorceress) blood servant Jax – who had been tasked to find her successor – finally finds the woman worthy of the position. And that is our heroine Amanusa. Living all by her lone self, deep in the woods of Romania, Amanusa is a healer who uses the little magic she knows she possesses to cure villagers and is happy to stay where she is. When a man comes out of the woods telling her that she is a Blood Sorceress and he is her servant, her first reaction is to freak out. For starters, women are not allowed to practice magic and the Inquisition might kill her for it. Secondly, everybody knows that blood magic is Teh Eviiiil, blood magicians kill children for their blood; plus, all men are brute rapists, and she can never ever trust Jax, because she fears and loathes men because she has been gang raped and abused for years by the band of anarchists who live in the woods who are also the band of people who killed her entire family.

But soon Amanusa realises that there isn’t much she can do about Jax – he can’t leave. Once he has found her, he is connected to her. If he tries to leave, he ends up always coming back to her door. Then, she decides to hear what he has to say and learns that Blood Magic does not involve killing anyone, much less babies – it is mostly done with her own blood or with blood freely given (and magically stored by Jax, who is like, a familiar) and all of a sudden the prospect of being a Blood Sorceress doesn’t sound that bad especially when she thinks she might get justice after all. Then, the anarchists show up: Amanusa has a deal with them – whereupon they will leave her alone if she concedes to visit their camp when someone is sick. She and Jax have to make a trip and at their camp, she starts to learn about Blood Magic. But first Amanusa needs to ride Jax’s blood so that he can be bound to her as a servant. Please bear in mind, that this has been only a few days after they have met. Amanusa is supposed to be a deeply scarred woman, who fears men and sex, who always thought Blood Magic to be evil, who just met this bloke out of nowhere. So she not only trusts his words but also, she finds that she has to link herself to him by way of blood and the way to do that is to have him drinking a bit of her blood so she can ride it. Now. I can think of a gazillion ways of having someone drinking someone else’s blood and here is a novel thought, it doesn’t even have to involve touching. How about, gasp, a glass? For someone who fears to be touched it looks like Amanusa got over her deep seated scars and trauma very quickly. Behold:

“She couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, could only watch as he squeezed a bit more blood from her finger and curled his tongue around it, caressing long after the blood was gone. He trailed his tongue down the length of her finger and probed the crease where it joined her hand. She shivered, whether from his touch or his gaze, she didn’t know.
Jax sent his tongue swirling across her palm where blood had never touched and Amanusa let him, lost in the blue of his eye and the shivery sensation of his teasing caress. With one last pulse of his tongue, he pressed a kiss to her palm, curving her hand around his face as if she caressed him in return”.

That was just about the place where things started to get downhill and I still had oh, 400 pages left?

They spend a few weeks in the camp, but they guys want her for a plaything again, she kills most of them (Justice!) and they have to flee. They carry with them a machine that one of the anarchists found (a spider thingy who feels like anti-magic to Amanusa). They are captured by the Inquisition, they escape and end up in Paris where they need to convince the Council to allow Amanusa in – but they don’t want to because all women are horrible, and magic is not something they can do, and Blood Magic is Teh Evil. Meanwhile, the Council is conferring in Paris because evil dead patches that are related to the mechanical insect they have found in Romania and which are spreading to Europe and might well bring the end of the world.

I mentioned that the start of the novel was good enough and it was. The two characters and the setting pulled me right into the book and I thought the two protagonists were very compelling to start with – both being damaged and broken. Their complex relationship of master/servant only serving to extrapolate those problems until they were able to overcome them. But. By God, soon it becomes clear that there is lack of a cohesive character development for both protagonists. Amanusa is too quick to trust Jax, to overcome her sexual trauma and to accept the Blood Magic; and their repetitive internal monologue was almost enough to drive me insane – cut 1/3 of those and 100 pages of the book could have been removed and the book would have been better. There is no reason for the numerous:

Amanusa: “men are evil. I don’t trust them. But I trust Jax. Why? “
Jax: “I am a servant. But she sees me as a man. Did she truly see me as a man?”

And so on and so forth.

My other main problem with the novel was the lack of inherent logic regarding the magic system which in all honesty, made no sense to me. Why only women would do Blood Magic?

The inference that men are squeamish when it comes to blood doesn’t compute – aren’t men the ones to go to war, or to fight in duels and carry out death sentences? Why did it take Jax 200 years to find a successor to Yvaine, more to the point, if Blood Magic was so important to the balance of magic why didn’t she have apprentices? Although the misogynistic view of women with half of the characters in the book running around like lunatics yelling that women are Evil grew tiresome and was ridiculous I do have to wonder if they didn’t have a point when it came to Blood Magic since the last known Sorceress did use to torture Jax and made him be raped to collect Sex Magic (yes, seriously ). So yes, I can sort of see how people would think that Blood Magic was not that good. Since we mention Jax – what is the point of blood servants? If the blood needed is mostly of the sorceress , she is the one with the power, she is the one with the blood, I don’t really see the point of a blood servant, but then again…there would be no book without one.

Then, there was this silly coincidence in which Jax, who did not know his true name for most of the book (he was so old, he suffered of memory loss) suddenly remembers it and realises he has a relative sitting right next to him. Yes, seriously. The ending is a pure melodrama: there is a kidnapping, the villains run around like girls screaming women are evil, only to when faced with one of them, believe her word when she tells them she will do something they ask. Why would they? And then it all ends with the amazing discovery that the bond of luuurve is more powerful than any other bond and then the two protagonists decide to go traipsing to Scotland leaving their friends behind even though she is the only known Blood Sorceress and THE WORLD MIGHT BE ABOUT TO END.

With all this being said, you might be asking yourself why in the world did I keep reading. I have read worse, but much worse in my life and I sustain that the characters are rather likeable so I kept reading in the hope for a good pay off. And it was downright frustrating that their story was not better developed. Alas, you win some, you lose some.

Notable Quotes/ Parts: In spite of the repetitive internal monologuing I quite liked most of Jax and Amanusa’s interactions.

Verdict: A magic system that does not make sense, a romance that had the potential to be awesome but fell flat. Unfortunately, this one misses the mark.

Rating: 4 – Bad but not without some merit

Reading Next: The Warlord of the Air by Michael Moorcock

This is our brand new segment in which our delightful buddy Harry, from Temple Library Reviews will be joining us once a month to review paranormal romance from a guy’s perspective. But we will let him introduce himself, please let’s give a warm welcome to Harry!

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Harry: I’m the newest honorary addition to the Book Smugglers team [honest to God, I smuggle books home and then lie straight to my family's face about it]. I get the chance to play here at their blog once a month and my small spot will be called ‘A Dude Reads PNR’. The idea came to be in December, when I posted my Sherilyn Kenyon review and people were interested to see the male POV about Paranormal Romance. The public demands, the attention whore (that’s me) begs, and the smugglers comply.

*******

Title: The Battle Sylph
Author: L.J. McDonald
Genre: Romantic Fantasy / PNR

Publisher: Dorchester Publishing
Publishing Date: 23.02.2010
MMP: 323 pages [in the ARC]

Stand Alone or series: First book in a new series

He is one of many: a creature of magic, unrelentingly male. He is lured through the portal by pure female beauty, a virgin sacrifice. When she is killed, he is silenced and enslaved.

Such a dark ritual is necessary, you see. Unlike their elemental cousins-those gentler sylphs of wind and fire-Battlers find no joy in everyday labor. Their magic can destroy an army or demolish a castle, and each has but one goal: find a Queen, then protect and pleasure her at all costs. What would a woman do if she were given such a servant, and what would befall any kingdom foolish enough to allow a Battler to escape?

Young Solie and the people of Eferem are about to find out.

Why did I read the book: The premise sounded intriguing. Ana sounded ecstatic and when her reader-sense is tingling, it means something good will happen. The cover is also mucho impressive with those glowing eyes and the woman sprawled below the title. Certainly a looker that one.

How did I get the book: Ana [book-pimp extraordinaire] tied it to a balloon and asked a flock of geese to deliver it to me. That is a lie, but it would have taken less than with snail mail post.

Review:

My christening review for this mighty feature has not been the funny and good-feel bang I hoped for. To be quite honest ‘Circle of Fire’ shoved me outside in a blizzard. I needed a book to turn the heat up, burn down the house and fire me up. Thankfully ‘The Battle Sylph’ is just the right novel to help you lower your heating bills and is way better than the hot-water bottle you bring to bed. Every page is soaked with either adrenaline or naughty kerosene for the nether regions… of your imagination [naturally, what did you guys think I was going to say?]

Did I hook you? I hope so. Because, there’s much to enjoy in ‘The Battle Sylph’. As the genre suggests this is romantic fantasy, so no leather boots, guns, mean SUVs and vampires or any other standard magical race. Instead, we have swords, sturdy warriors, a queen and a race of spirits, who can become corporal and incorporeal, whenever they please. While it is true that fantasy hosts a romantic subplot almost always, the way the sex scene is mandatory for every single major Hollywood, the relationship usually remains in the background and is not central for the conflict. And it is not steamy, either.

‘The Battle Sylph’ offers the best from the medieval traditional fantasy with its quests, parties of brave heroes with a noble cause and a dastardly nemesis figure, while merging it with quite the liberated sexual attitude and a central relationship, which triggered the events in the book. The balance is solid and achieved by integrating sex into the worldbuilding, which evades the hazard of this becoming a book, where sex randomly flies around and is neither relevant, nor of any use to the plot. As the reader [you, because you have to have this book] discovers, the sylphs are spirits from a different plain, which live together in hives and divide into several subspecies, according to their status and function in the hive. There are elemental sylphs. Fire, water, earth, air. There are healing sylphs and there are also battle sylphs otherwise called the battlers. Every subspecies, excluding the battle sylphs, are female. The battlers are the soldiers in the hive and exist for war and sex, since they are the only males. The sole female to receive their affections is the queen of the hive, which makes them highly competitive and aggressive towards each other. The mythos in ‘The Battle Sylph’ helps the reader identify the mutual traits and the justification behind the behavior of all the battlers in the novel such as Heyou, the youngest battler and main protagonist, Ril and Mace. The dynamics and the hierarchy are fascinating to rediscover, because sylphs in general have no known mythological and popular role attached to them and this rendition steals the show, so to say.

Because sylphs in general require a connection with a human master in order to exist in the human world, the novel is rich in diverse relationship dynamics and scenarios. Beyond the usual human-human interaction with all the classic elements and tropes, such as friendship, betrayal, loyalty, subordination and defilement, readers are also treated to mandatory master-sylph episodes, which are as diverse as the individual characters. McDonald features cold hearted masters with a sadistic streak towards their sylphs, benign masters with a liberal mind, who break some rules and grant some freedoms to their sylphs and masters, who stray away from established models and allow their sylphs to act as they wish, relying on cooperation rather than servitude.

Although Solie and Heyou are the central couple, a queen with her battle sylph, their roles and the story attached to them would ring a bell. Solie is the first woman to break a monopolized by men tradition, by being bound to a battle sylph. Heyou is the young inexperienced battler, who must stand against many a challenge. That aside, the chemistry between these two feels very much real and volatile. However, the real emotional intensity lies in the human-sylph interactions between Leon, the king’s head of security and a dirty trick man, and his battler Ril and Jasar, member of the spoiled elite with many connections and an insufferable ego, and his battler Mace. Leon and Ril walk on the path of guilt, redemption and forgiveness, after it becomes clear that the female sacrifice used in the summoning ritual was actually the reason the battlers crossed plains and her death results in madness for the sylph and hatred towards the master, who remains clueless. Leon’s devastation upon learning the truth is raw and heartfelt, while Ril’s hatred and painful denial is also powerful to read. Mace is less fortunate with his master Jasar, whom you would love to hate and kill, if you were a character in the story. Mace has to endure his master’s depravations, toxic and demanding personality and amoral orders in silence; a bond from which he cannot escape and threatens to add a horrific twist in the resolution.

As you see, ‘The Battle Sylph’ is the Horn of Plenty. From page one you are assaulted with so many flavors, excitement and adventures that you may need some time to adjust. This is my issue with the book. It is taking a non-stop staccato story and playing it double time. There are almost no natural pauses for the reader to rest and by the end of the journey, I was as exhausted as the characters and mind you, I never even had to raise a sword or survive almost certain annihilation. This unnatural speed to dash to the finish line coupled with the lightning quick POV changes might result in some confusion, but overall these two issues do not steal from the quality of the storytelling, prose or creative prowess.

Verdict: I wanted to be sassy, humorous and witty, but quite frankly writing this review sapped completely. There are at least a few thousand words more I wanted to say, but this is a review and not a thesis. In a few words though, ‘The Battle Sylph’ is a winner for sure. A power exercise for your brain’s endurance, but the benefits outweigh the minor inconveniences along the way.

Rating: 8 – Excellent

Reading next: Demonkeepers by Jessica Andersen

Title :A Tale of Two Demon Slayers

Author: Angie Fox

Genre: UF

Publisher: Love Spell
Publication Date: January 2010
Paperback:: 308 Pages

Last month, I was a single preschool teacher whose greatest thrill consisted of color-coding my lesson plans. That was before I learned I was a slayer. Now, it’s up to me to face curse-hurling imps, vengeful demons, and any other supernatural uglies that crop up. And, to top it off, a hunk of a shape-shifting griffin has invited me to Greece to meet his family.

But it’s not all sun, sand, and ouzo. Someone has created a dark-magic version of me with my powers and my knowledge—and it wants to kill me and everyone I know. Of course, this evil twin doesn’t have Grandma’s gang of biker witches, a talking Jack Russell terrier, or an eccentric necromancer on its side. In the ultimate showdown for survival, may the best demon slayer win.

Stand alone or series: Book three in the Accidental Demon Slayer series. Book 1: The Accidental Demon Slayer reviewed here. Book 2: The Dangerous Books for Demon Slayers reviewed here

How did I get this book: Review Copy from the publisher

Why did I read this book: I am a fan of this series, which I have been reading since it first came out.

Review:

A Tale of Two Demon Slayers is the third book in the Accidental Demon Slayer series, in which former preschool teacher Lizzie Brown discovers she has come from a long lineage of Demon Slayers. In the past two books which cover a period of roughly two months she has gained her powers on her 30th birthday, discovered that her powers came from a family she didn’t even know she had, complete with a witch grandmother who is a member of the Red Skulls (a coven of geriatric biker witches) , that those same powers were not even supposed to be hers (hence the “accidental”) , fell in love with a Greek griffin called Dimitri, had to learn to use those powers, went to Hell and back to save his family and saved the world.

In this third instalment, Lizzie is getting ready to get a much deserved break in sunny Greece with her hot boyfriend and her talking dog Pirate. But who says things go easy to Lizzie? At the airport, her grandmother decides it is time to give her a box that belonged to her mother containing an object that is an important part of a Slayer’s training – and her tutor is to meet her….in the middle of her vacation. Then, inside the box, there is an invisible bar which upon being touched by Lizzie, foretells her impending death. If that is not enough, en route to Greece, Dimitri tells her when he first went searching for her, he used Griffin magic to trace her magic and that made her vulnerable. For all intents and purposes that shouldn’t have been a problem, but someone has tried to steal this remaining “Lizzie” thread from his office in Greece. Upon arriving in his villa, they learn that there is a threat not only to his Lizzie but to his family as well.

I was expecting a lot from A Tale of Two Demon Slayers . Even though I really enjoyed the first book for its wonky humour and non-stop action, the second book set the bar higher when it dealt with a more personal, intimate side of Lizzie. But neither explored her relationship with Dimitri or her hopes and her dreams or rather, how her becoming a Demon Slayer, influenced those in depth. I was pleased to see that those issues were deftly dealt with as it all comes full circle in this book.

The story this time, focuses a lot on Lizzie, with less time for gimmicks (as fan as they usually are from the Red Skulls or Pirate) with a little bit of rebellion from Lizzie. I mean, this is her life. But ever since she came into her powers, she has been dragged around, pushed about, she hasn’t had a chance to say “no”, has she. Not that it crossed her mind – she has a duty, she knows that. But sometimes it is nice to be simply asked. There is one aspect of Lizzie’s personality that I find interesting, which is her OCD tendency to have an explanation for everything and to have everything in their places – including people. Her powers, and the overwhelming feelings for Dimitri (and Dimitri’s for her) simply do not fit in – that struggle with both is a great part of her arc.

As for Dimitri, finally, we come to understand and to get to know him more. This time we are in his turf and we see his family and his friend. Getting to know those is to get to know his traditions and therefore his motivations. I can honestly say now, that I can get on board of that relationship.

On the down side: how annoying is that the title and the blurb completely and utterly spoil the plot of the novel? Because it is not until the last few pages of the novel that we come to know that the threat comes from a second Demon Slayer? Yet, we are expecting it because of the title of the Novel!

And finally, what made Lizzie special to me was that she was effectively an accidental Demon Slayer. To see a common, preschool teacher dealing with it was both funny and interesting. But at the end of this book, there came a twist and I am not sure how I feel about that. Right now, I am sitting on the fence. I guess I will have to read the next book to see what will happens next .

Notable Quotes/ Parts: I loved the no holds barred confrontation/conversation between Dimitri and Lizzie in which both of them said what they felt and thought. It was awesome.

Verdict: A strong third instalment in a series that has yet to let me down. It remains a full of action, funny, sexy and entertaining, Urban Fantasy /Romance series. Lizzie has grown as a character and Angie Fox as an author – great stuff.

Rating: 7 – Very Good

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