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.

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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

Reading Next: : Lex Trent Versus The Gods by Alex Bell

Hey folks, we have a brand new segment! 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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I’m not sure whether Ana & Thea have made it public, but 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 does 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. For my christening into the official Smuggler family I have been given “Circle of Fire” by Keri Arthur.

Title: Circle of Fire

Author: Keri Arthur

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Piatkus Books
Publishing Date: 06.08.2009
Paperback: 298 pages

Stand Alone or series: First book in the Damask Circle

Why did I read the book: Ana had lined three novels and the summary made this one a succulent choice.

How did I get the book: Ana mailed it to me.

Summary: Sixteen teenagers taken from their homes. Eleven bodies recovered, each completely drained of blood. Some believe vampires are responsible, but Jon Barnett knows it’s something far worse. To stop the killers in Taurin Bay, he becomes enmeshed in a web of black magic and realizes he needs help. But fate gives him only one choice in the form of recluse Madeline Smith.

Review:

What happened between my reader personality and Circle of Fire can be best described with a typical wedding reception scenario. I was sat on a table with a good looking lady, a promise to have a swell time drenched in conversation. However, after the introductions the conversation ran out of topics and although the time spent together had a few good gems, in the very end I was left utterly bored and the fine lady entertained her neighbor better. I call this the ‘click factor’. Either you almost hear the click sound, when your hands grab the book in standard reading position or you don’t. In the case with Circle of Fire, my ears were deaf, but even so the ride was not all lows. It had a few highs and perks.

Paranormal Romance is a feel-good genre. Compared to all the genres out there, the PNR is the spicy, exotic and sinful meal, which you feel instant guilt about afterwards, but damn it, if you don’t feel heavenly in the moment of consumption. So, I keep wondering, why the heck do all series I have had the opportunity to read feature ominous, big scale [epic] central or otherwise plot lines. Sure, I guess the big bad thing out there ready to bring some distant cousin of the Judgment Day ensures that the series will have a big number of installments, but I don’t see it as necessary. I thought it was refreshing that Arthur decided to have a modest start with one case, which was more or less isolated and personal rather than introductory and the inkling of a storm.

The story is straightforward. The objective is clear: find the missing children and for Maddie to bring her nephew home. In order to achieve that Maddie has to pair up with Jon, the resident brooding hero, who customary for the genre is a shapeshifter. Both aren’t the best match for this investigation, since Maddie [despite her precognitive and fire starting powers] is largely ignorant about the supernatural world. This trait puts her in danger and jeopardizes the whole investigation. Although the opening chapters seemed filled with promise, especially with the way how Maddie and Jon meet, after that I hit déjà vu lane at parade speed and knew just about everything that was going to happen. Call me precognitive…

You may argue that more or less, everything has been said and done as far as plot goes, but it isn’t impossible to give well known formulas a fresh polish, a new spin, some tuning. What worked against from this happening was the lack of meat on the story’s bones. Three hundred pages [barely 300, mind you] is not the healthy, solid bedrock to develop a high adrenaline adventure and a believable romance. Then there’s Arthur’s prose, which left me neutral. I did not feel grabbed by the way she expressed herself and for me prose is a determining factor to whether I enjoy a novel or not. With Circle of Fire I felt largely unattached with where it went and I felt like I was being told rather than shown. I still can’t shake the ‘clutches’. It’s just not how I roll these days.

World-building-wise things headed into a right direction, but never got anywhere. True, there is an avian shapeshifter and not the standard hairy, possessive alpha male. True, the big baddy has a diversified goody bag with ways to kill the protagonists, but there is no actual depth to make this exciting. I had questions about shapeshifters in general, the rules as far as magic is concerned and what not, but that was largely unanswered. I also couldn’t buy that Maddie could so easily figure out how to learn the ropes with her precognitive powers, after a single mention that control was possible. Given her background and the grief her powers had given her, I would suspect it was the opposite.

Last, but not least, the romance. From a logical standpoint, what Arthur did is sound. Maddie was a victim of physical and psychological abuse, so a sensual and naughty relationship was not the best route to take. The romance here is more or less platonic, melting the ice walls both protagonists have raised for different reasons and admitting that love stuck both ends of a long spaghetti strand in their mouths with the intention to get a kiss at the end. I admit that I am a fan of the idea and the actual ending of Circle of Fire was endearing, but getting there was a journey that seemed forced, raw and inorganic. Both protagonists switched between what the Freudian IT wanted [getting it on] and what the EGO [from bad experience] dictated as best course of action [aka straying away from love]. I understand from where this inner dilemma stems and yet the way it was handled did not suspend my disbelief or cemented my conviction that the happily ever after was rooted in reality.

Verdict: I didn’t click with it. I can’t call this a bad novel, because it isn’t. I am sure that this one will be a perfect fit for somebody else, but Circle of Fire can’t provide what I need from a book. Yeah, I am a picky and needy bastard.

Rating: 5 Meh, take it or leave it

Reading next: The Battle Sylph by LJ Macdonald

Today and tomorrow we are having a Molly Harper Spotlight. Earlier today we joint reviewed Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs the first book in the Jane Jameson trilogy; Now, we take a look at Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men (book 2) and Nice Girls Don’t Live Forever (book 3) . And tomorrow, the author will be stopping by to talk about her inspirations and influences and to answer YOUR questions – plus you will have a chance to win a set of all three books!

Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men

Publisher: Pocket
Publishing Date: August 2009
Paperback 400 pages

Summary: Once a devoted children’s librarian, Jane Jameson now works at a rundown occult bookstore. Once a regular gal, she’s now a vampire. And instead of a bride, she’s an eternal bridesmaid — which leads her to question where exactly her relationship with her irresistibly sexy sire, Gabriel, is headed. Mercurial, enigmatic, apparently commitment-phobic vampires are nothing if not hard to read. While Jane is trying to master undead dating, she is also donning the ugliest bridesmaid’s dress in history at her best friend Zeb’s Titanic-themed wedding. Between a freaked-out groom-to-be, his hostile werewolf in-laws, and Zeb’s mother, hell-bent on seeing Jane walk the aisle with Zeb, Jane’s got the feeling she’s just rearranging the proverbial deck chairs.

Meanwhile, Half Moon Hollow’s own Black Widow, Jane’s Grandma Ruthie, has met her match in her latest fiancé. He smells like bad cheese and has a suspicious history of dead spouses. But Jane’s biting her tongue. After all, would a nice girl really think she has a future with a vampire?

Review: In Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men, Jane Jameson, former librarian turned vampire after she was accidentally killed when a deer hunter mistook her for a deer , is still coming to grips with her life as one of the undead. If that was not enough, her best friend Zeb is getting married to a werewolf and the two families are not getting along, to put it very mildly; Zeb’s mother (AKA Mama Ginger or the Mother From Hell) is bent on getting Zeb to marry Jane instead and the werewolves are not very keen on Zeb either who now has one less toe, the result of one of a myriad of pranks they play on him. The wedding is to be Titanic themed, with an Iceberg and everything and Jane is supposed to wear the most horrendous bridesmaid dress of all time.

On top of that, Gabriel, Jane’s sire and boyfriend keep going away on business, disappearing for days without contacting her, never answering the phone. Jane is certain he is cheating on her but her lack of self-confidence prevents her from confronting him. Then her Grandmother Ruthie, a serial Widow starts dating someone new and Zeb starts sending really weird vibes her way. All of sudden, Jane maybe well be the sanest person around ,which just goes to show how insane this whole book is.

Drama: this book has in spades. Only, of the funny variety. Although, less hysterically funny than the first book, I still had a smile pretty much the entire time I was reading. Although a comedy at heart, this is also a character-driven story and Jane continues to grow as a character. And in this book, it is all about her circle of relationships and how she interacts or reacts (or not) with them. Sometimes, she manages to be proactive, sometimes she just shuts down completely. I also LOVE to read about the other character’s relationships especially that between Andrea and Dick Cheney. I am so rooting for them!

On the flip side, I was not very keen at all about the whole Grandma Ruthie storyline and could have done without it. I was also very frustrated with the relationship between Gabriel and Jane. He was hardly ever around and I could not, for the life of me, understand how Jane did not deal with that for most of the book. BUT that is part of their story and definitely part of Jane’s arc.

On to the next one!

Notable Quotes/ Parts:I love how Jane is a Jane Austen enthusiast. Her dog is named Fitz after Fitzwilliam Darcy from Pride and Prejudice for example. But she also loves Sense and Sensibility. I loved how in several scenes in Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men, she would be in situations and she would muse whether she should behave like Elinor (and be logical) or Marianne (and be emotional).

Verdict: Although not the best in the series, this book is still funny and sexy and quirky.

Rating: 7 Very Good

Nice Girls Don’t Live Forever

Publisher: Pocket
Publishing Date: December 2009
Paperback: 336 pages

Summary: Nothing sucks the romance out of world travel like a boyfriend who may or may not have broken up with you in a hotel room in Brussels. Jane Jameson’s sexy sire Gabriel has always been unpredictable, but the seductive, anonymous notes that await him at each stop of their international vacation, coupled with his evasive behavior over the past few months, finally push Jane onto the next flight home to Half Moon Hollow — alone, upset, and unsure whether Gabriel just ended their relationship without actually telling her.

Now the children’s-librarian-turned-vampire is reviving with plenty of Faux Type O, some TLC from her colorful friends and family, and her plans for a Brave New Jane. Step One: Get her newly renovated occult bookstore off the ground. Step Two: Support her best friend, Zeb, and his werewolf bride as they prepare for the impending birth of their baby…or litter. Step Three: Figure out who’s been sending her threatening letters, and how her hostile pen pal is tied to Gabriel. Because for this nice girl, surviving a broken heart is suddenly becoming a matter of life and undeath..

Review: Warning. Contains spoilers for books one and two.

Nice Girls Don’t Live Forever picks up where Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men left off, with Jane and Gabriel touring Europe. Gabriel is still been a mysterious pig. Although it is obvious that he loves Jane, he is hiding something as the phone calls, letters (who read like love letters by the way by someone named Jeanine) and sudden business meeting prove. And he simply refuses to explain what is going on. Then, back home someone breaks into her new bookstore and she decides to leave Gabriel behind and go back home.

Back in Half Moon Hollow, thinks are as manic as usual. Zeb and Jolene are pregnant (and who knows how many babies a werewolf mother may give birth to) ; Dick and Andrea have moved in together; the ghosts of Mr. Wainsworth and Auntie Jettie are going steady; then Jane decided to join the Chamber of Commerce (where all the members are named Courtney) and whomever was writing letters to Gabriel start threatening her.

This book is slightly more serious than the previous books but this is because Jane has come a long way as a character. This is where she finally takes definite proactive actions. Seeing all of her friend settled and happy makes wonders to her life; her new business starts to grow (and does really have a love for books and literature) she settles her issues with her sister and confronts Gabriel . I have to admit I actually grew fonder of the guy with this book but Dick Cheney takes the cake for best make character of this series. His arc with Andrea was the best romantic arc in the books and I loved the way it ended for both of them. They provided me with laughter and even a bit of tears (which is to be admired considering this is supposed to be a Comedy).

But this is also a more balanced book and the best one in the series. The author has also grown as a writer and it shows. The story has less zigzagging and I thought a cleaner , simpler plot that worked out really well.

On the whole, I really enjoyed reading this series. I think these books are really funny and heart-warming with a bunch of great characters. I will miss reading about them but I don’t wish for more books in the series. I generally think that series tend to go for too long which a lot of the time results in series exhaustion, character assassination, jumping the shark, etc. I think Jane and Co are in a really good, happy place right now. Let them be.

Notable Quotes/ Parts: Because I am such a romantic at heart, I have to say I loved the interactions between Dick and Andrea. And there is one scene between Dick and Jane that was so cute. And adorable. I have a crush. So sue me.

Verdict: The strongest book in the series, it is a perfect ending for the trilogy.

Rating: 7 Very Good leaning towards a 8

Make sure to come back tomorrow for a chance to learn more about the series and ask Molly Harper your own questions, and for a chance to win a set of all the books in the Jane Jameson series!

Welcome to this year’s first Smugglivus Flash giveaway!

For this first offering we have two different batches, courtesy of Orbit Books and Gollancz.

Batch 1 – Paranormal Romance + Fire

Batch 2 – Fantasy + Fire

You know the drill: the giveaway lasts for a mere 24 hour period (hence the “Flash” title). You have until today, Saturday 12th, 11:59 PM (Pacific) to leave a comment picking the batch that you prefer. We will randomly pick the two winners and announce them tomorrow. Contest is open to UK and US only. GO!

Today we have something a little different for you: we received a review copy of Born of Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon and due to our crazy schedule, we realized that we couldn’t possibly read and review it. BUT, since our friend Harry Markov of Temple Library Reviews showed some interest on the book a while back, we asked him to write a review for us – and he was more than happy to oblige! Here is what he has to say:

Title: Born of Night

Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: St Martin’s Paperbacks/Piatkus
Publishing Date: September 2009/October 2009
Paperback: 560 pages

Stand Alone or series: Book one of the League series

How did we get the book: we got a review copy from Piatkus and sent the book to Harry.

Harry’s review:

“Born of Night” by Sherrilyn Kenyon sounded good at first. The book trailer whispered sweet things in my ear and the cover seduced me. I said I wanted it and Ana gave it to me. However it turned out that “Born of Night” is a big book. A sense of foreboding came over me, when I looked at the five hundred and thirty pages and then made sure that this is a book in the UF and paranormal romance vein. But first the blurb:
_____

In the Ichidian Universe, The League and their ruthless assassins rule all. Expertly trained and highly valued, the League Assassins are the backbone of the government. But not even the League is immune to corruption…

Command Assassin Nykyrian Quikiades once turned his back on the League—and has been hunted by them ever since. Though many have tried, none can kill him or stop him from completing his current mission: to protect Kiara Zamir, a woman whose father’s political alliance has made her a target.

As her world becomes even deadlier, Kiara must entrust her life to the same kind of beast who once killed her mother and left her for dead. Old enemies and new threaten them both and the only way they can survive is to overcome their suspicions and learn to trust in the very ones who threaten them the most: each other.
_____

I started reading… It was the most conflicting five days I had ever spent with a novel as far as my reading experience is concerned. By the end I wanted to both have sex with it and have the book burned, while I watched with a glass of wine in my hand and an evil laugh. For starters the writing style didn’t agree with me much. Kenyon is one of those writers, who are fond of pairing nouns and adjectives all the time and the pairings don’t bring out a new nuance in the prose. I am talking about the ‘indignant anger’, ‘playful banter’ and ‘stinking garbage’. These can be generally overlooked, but Kenyon also enjoys repeating facts and bits mentioned before and are well known or completely obvious.

As the story progresses the reader is introduced to the Sentella, an assassin organization with principle and heart, good men and women with brutal pasts, who are like one big family to a degree and usually banter. Instead of just letting the reader buy the concept and through reading say ‘gee, these assassins have brutal pasts, but are good guys that banter like a family’ Kenyon emphasizes on ‘brutal pasts’ and the banter, which is shouting at my face rather than telling or ideally showing me this. But yes, I did love the assassin organization, the personal pasts designed for each character and how they owe their loyalty to Nykyrian. It felt good to meet these characters and learn more about them and care for them.

What I hated was how their pasts were revealed, especially Nykyrian’s. Kenyon has allowed too many easy solutions to the questions surrounding the assassins’ backgrounds. Kiara is this naïve Mary Sue character with childish curiosity and apparently acts as the human version to the serum of truth, because whenever she starts asking questions, everybody spills paragraph upon paragraph of their personal drama. And the model behind each conversation is like this: Kiara’s question – …’s answer – Kiara’s provocation – …’s angry response to prove Kiara wrong in her closed minded view. This totally ruined it for me, even though there is much thought into the characters and the dynamics and ties between one another.

While I am still on Kiara, she is a contradiction. One moment she is all open minded and sees that these people have been battered by life and are more or less forced into their lifestyle and when the plot demands to be moved forward or the reader needs information about a character then Kiara is self-righteous and all knowing, condemning them. She whines and places herself in danger, because she doesn’t think. Sure, her past as a victim to assassins justifies her hate and resentment to assassins, but then again I would suppose she would be smart enough to build a stronger survival instinct as to never warm up to the Sentella or taking it extra longer to do so or decide to go with the Sentella to a planet that screams danger.

Yeah, so far it seems that I utterly hate this novel, but there is one redeemable quality and that is Nykyrian. It’s true that he is a bit of a Gary Stu. Tragic past? Check. Can survive almost every dangerous scenario? Check. Has mad skills? Check. Desired? Hell yeah. Bad boy with a golden heart? Check and check. Yet I connected with the guy, believed that he was as tormented and unloved as Kenyon told me he was. Reading his awkward reactions to going in a relationship with Kiara was endearing and kept me going and going. And that relationship grew nicely complicated, entertaining to watch spin and then wham a head on collision train wreck, which left my jaw hanging low. Kenyon took this thing to a good place and totally sunk my battle ship by introducing the most impossible succession of chance meetings that are considered implausible to happen on Earth and nearly laughable to occur in a story, where the characters can travel between worlds as it you are visiting a neighborhood in your city.

By the time I was done I banged my head on the wall, because I had hoped for a reasonable happy ending. Kenyon defied all laws that govern over happy endings and delivered the cheesiest, most sugar coated Hollywood packaged finish I have ever seen. Yet, the novel kept me emotionally active, reactive and engaged, which is hard to achieve these days and the story does have its good moments. After all, Kenyon is a bestselling author and although I myself couldn’t buy this I bet there are readers, who want wish-fantasy story lines. As far as I am concerned I won’t be repeating this experiment.

Giveaway details:

Would like to read Born of Night and see for yourself? We have one extra copy to giveaway along with another 3 Sherrilyn Kenyon’s books:

The contest is open to the US ONLY and will run until Saturday, December 12 at 11:59pm (PST). To enter, simply leave a comment here. ONE entry per person, please! Duplicate and/or multiple entries will be disqualified. Good Luck!

Title: Untouchable (one of two stories in the Deep Kiss of Winter anthology with Gena Showalter)

Author: Kresley Cole

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Pocket
Publishing Date: October, 2009
Hardcover 436 pages (the novella has about 240 pages)

Stand Alone or series: Part of the Immortals After Dark series but can be read as stand alone

Why did I read the book: This series is my literary crack

How did I get the book: review copy from publisher

Summary: Murdoch Wroth will stop at nothing to claim Daniela the Ice Maiden — the delicate Valkyrie who makes his heart beat for the first time in three hundred years. Yet the exquisite Danii is part ice fey, and her freezing skin can’t be touched by anyone but her own kind without inflicting pain beyond measure. Soon desperate for closeness, in an agony of frustration, Murdoch and Danii will do anything to have each other. Together, can they find the key that will finally allow them to slake the overwhelming desire burning between them?

Review: Kresley Cole’s Untouchable is one of two stories in the anthology Deep Kiss of Winter (the other story is Gena Showalter’s Tempt Me Eternally which I did not read as I am not acquainted with that series) and is set in the Immortals After Dark world. Kresley Cole’s books are my literary crack and I have read all of the novels and novellas in the series. I have enjoyed the first few very much but I am starting to feel a certain boredom and dissatisfaction with the series with the latest instalments. Untouchable has just cemented this feeling.

For all intents and purposes , I should have loved the story. This is the romance between the last of the Wroth brothers, Murdoch and the Valkyrie Daniela known as the Ice Maiden for her Icere (Ice Fey) half and at its heart it is a “Reformed Rake” story, my favourite romance trope. Murdoch was quite the ladies men, never attached to any woman until he became a vampire. One of the things he fears the most is to find his Bride (the vampire’s version of a life-mate) as he can’t think of anything worse than to be shackled to someone for eternity. That makes him absolutely unique in the world they inhabit (for all vampires want to find their Brides) but also amongst the heroes we have seen so far. It also provides some entertainment in itself as he asks those questions I am sure we all have asked at some point about the very idea of “mating”: Is he supposed to feel okay about being mated FOREVER with someone he hardly knows?

Even worse for Murdoch is the fact that Danii, as part Icere , is very sensitive to warm temperatures and is literally, untouchable or else she feels pain. She is hiding in New Orleans with her Valkirye coven because she is the rightful queen of the Icere, whose crown has been stolen and she has been a fugitive for about 2000 years. She has been unable to have any relationships and is very lonely – her reaction to being Murdoch’s Bride is one of relief until she realizes that he is not happy, at all.

And here is where I reach a problematic part of the review, with a conundrum.

Kresley Cole’s books are known for the oversexed characters and plot. Her books follow a recognizable pattern (loads of foreplay, and some conflict, then loads of sex) and that becomes part of the comfort in reading them. You always know what you going to get, in a very predictable manner. This book is no different, the sexing is scorching hot as usual, and is pretty good at that.

BUT, I find myself, as I said above, bored. Although each of Kresley Cole’s characters has individual traits that differentiate them from the characters from the previous books, the journey they make towards the happy ending is a very repetitive one. Without a strong world building in which to set the romance, the books are starting to read the same, every single time. Especially when I compare them to other paranormal romance series such as Nalini Singh’s and Meljean Brook’s; both these series have strong world building and stories that go far, far beyond the sexing. I had hoped Kresley Cole’s would go the same route (what with the Ascension and the Lore) but I lost that hope with the latest instalments.

Even though the conflicts, both internal and external, in this story are interesting to begin with, they come to a resolution, far too easy and fast. For all that Murdoch resists the pull of his Bride still he falls in that predictable pattern: endless pages of foreplay, displays of jealousy-possessiveness and his doubts being pushed aside because hey LOOK , her sex is glistening. Similarly Danii’s storyline with the Icere is solved ridiculously fast especially if you think this has been going on for two thousand years. In a matter of seconds, all that comes to a resolution with a Deus Ex Machina in the shape of an Icere guy who has “I am a future protagonist” written all over his hawt, tormented self.

The “conundrum” and “problematic” comes from the fact that there is nothing NEW here. All of the above happened in previous books which brings me to my point. If the books remain the same, it is I who have come to a crossroads – do I keep reading or do I part ways with the series? I read Romance books for more than the sex, and I think that the Immortal After Dark series, after that initial novelty feel, is not really for me. I do intend to read the next one, Pleasure of a Dark Prince because I have been waiting for that story since book one, but I have the strongest suspicion that that will be my last one.

Notable Quotes/ Parts: I thought his passage was funny – like an inside joke about these books’ tropes:

“Obviously, I need to leave,” she said while thinking, tell me I’m your Bride, and that I WILL be staying. Be an arrogant, possessive Neanderthal vampire! She wanted him to simply inform her that he would never let her go and she would just have to accept that, or whatever domineering misguided trip these manly men always said.

Verdict: If you read this series you know exactly what to expect. All left for you to decide is: is it worth paying Hardcover price to read another similar story that does not progress the main plot at all?

Rating: Well. If you are looking for good romance and hot sex, the story is effective – I would give it a 6. Overall plot is quite weak though – and that is a 4.

Reading next: The Red Wolf Conspiracy by Robert V. S. Redick

Title: The Last Will of Moira Leahy

Author: Therese Walsh

Genre: Fiction (Paranormal)

Publisher: Shaye Areheart Books
Publishing Date: October 2009
Hardcover: 304 pages

Stand alone or series: Stand alone

How did I get the book: Review copy from author

Why did I read the book: I don’t usually read “fiction” but I thought the cover was SO striking and the blurb so interesting that I had to say yes when the author offered us a copy.

Summary: A LOST SHADOW
Moira Leahy struggled growing up in her prodigious twin’s shadow; Maeve was always more talented, more daring, more fun. In the autumn of the girls’ sixteenth year, a secret love tempted Moira, allowing her to have her own taste of adventure, but it also damaged the intimate, intuitive relationship she’d always shared with her sister. Though Moira’s adolescent struggles came to a tragic end nearly a decade ago, her brief flirtation with independence will haunt her sister for years to come.

A LONE WOMAN
When Maeve Leahy lost her twin, she left home and buried her fun-loving spirit to become a workaholic professor of languages at a small college in upstate New York. She lives a solitary life now, controlling what she can and ignoring the rest—the recurring nightmares, hallucinations about a child with red hair, the unquiet sounds in her mind, her reflection in the mirror. It doesn’t help that her mother avoids her, her best friend questions her sanity, and her not-quite boyfriend has left the country. But at least her life is ordered. Exactly how she wants it.

A SHARED PAST
Until one night at an auction when Maeve wins a keris, a Javanese dagger that reminds her of her lost youth, and happier days playing pirates with Moira in their father’s boat. Days later, a book on weaponry is nailed to her office door, followed by anonymous notes, including one that invites her to Rome to learn more about the blade and its legendary properties. Opening her heart and mind to possibility, Maeve accepts the invitation, and with it, a window into her past. Ultimately she will revisit the tragic November night that shaped her and Moira’s destinies, and learn that nothing can be taken at face value, as one sister emerges whole and the other’s score is finally settled.

Review:

I am kind of lost on how to start this review. The Last Will of Moira Leahy is undeniably a good, solid debut novel although one that does not come without its flaws. But I guess I am rushing into the conclusion without even writing an introduction.

Maeve Leahy is a 25 year- old language professor who has closed herself off life ever since she lost her twin sister Moira 9 years ago. She has a strained relationship with the parents, specialty her mother whom she barely speaks with; she hasn’t returned home for years, refuses to play music which once was her heart and soul; she also avoids to think about the past or to consider a present and a future with Noel, her best friend who- could- be- something- else. For all intents and purposes Maeve is frozen in time, unable to look back, and remember, grief-stricken.

Then one day, whilst visiting an auction house, she sees a dagger that reminds her one her family had when they were little (and played pirates) and bids on it. The antique is in fact, a Javanese Keris, a sort of dagger said to possess special properties.

Once in her possession, strange things start to happen: someone leaves her weird notes urging her to remember ; a book with more information about the Keris is left at her office and an invitation to go to Rome to see a man who could have answers about the weapon. More insidious that these though, are the memories which start to crack her careful walls…..of music, of laughter, of … Moira.

Maeve then decides to take a chance and goes to Rome where she is met by Noel. There, they investigate the origins of the Keris, are pursued by someone who has “villain” branded on his forehead and eventually end up talking about the feelings they have for each other.

The story alternates between Maeve’s present, first person narrative and flashbacks to the past, from Moira’s point of view detailing the sister’s relationship from childhood to teenage years when tragedy occurs. Just how much tragic it is, we don’t get to see until very late in the story but yes, tragic is quite the perfect word for it. It is in these flashbacks that we learn of the twin’s deep connection and love; how very close they were with even a made-up language but also how very different they were; a difference which is continuously addressed by their mother in an attempt to make them unique individuals but which may well prove to be as much as a problem as if they were seen as the same. Then there is a boy and deceit and things turn really, really sour.

There are quite a few different elements in The Last Will of Moira Leahy, sometimes even too much. Family issues, the twin’s connection, the fact that Maeve is a musical prodigy; the plot itself is a mixture of mystery, and romance and suspense with added elements of supernatural and mysticism. Although most of them were woven seamlessly in the story and even the paranormal aspects, to my surprised worked, I think that perhaps, the author tried to do too much with the story and it just felt excessive to me. For example, on top of everything, there is ALSO the fact that Noel was in search of his mother who was a sufferer of abuse and perhaps only a bit crazy. The villain was way too villainous and that was a thread that interrupted the flow of the story.

But the main point is this: stripped to its bare essentials –a woman, suffering the loss of her beloved twin, having to look back at her past and simply remember so that she is able to open up to her own future – the story is effective, haunting, beautiful even. Maeve and Moira story is the painful, sad story of two flawed people trying to make the best out of their lives. Even the parents, especially their mother, were worthy of compassion. In fact, compassion and forgiveness are two themes central to the story. And Maeve and Noel’s romance totally pleased the romance addict in me. Therese Walsh has undoubtedly a lot of talent – although The Last Will of Moira Leahy was not everything I had hoped it would be, I envision a brilliant writing future for her.

Notable Quotes/ Parts:

“I lost my twin to a harsh November nine years ago. Ever since, I’ve felt the span of that month like no other, as if each of the calendar’s thirty perfect little squares split in two on the page.”

Additional Thoughts:

There is a great scene between Noel and Maeve in Rome when they go to the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin and visit the famous Bocca de la Verita or the Mouth of Truth. It is said, that if you are a liar and put your hand inside the mouth , it will be chopped off. The moment in the book is a special moment of bonding between them when they first speak of truths to each other. The scene reminded me of two movies that I love, Roman Holiday and Only You. Remember those?

Unfortunately, as much as I love all of these, I suffer of something called Nitpickiness for I think that these scenes are actually impossibilities. Details, you see….they are the devil. Santa Maria in Cosmedin is a church that has odd opening hours, it is almost never open in the evenings and it has a closed gate after it is closed. It is also a church plagued with tourists, with buses parked outside at all hours and a long, looooooong line of tourists waiting to take a picture with their hands in the mouth. More often than not, chances are, you will have just about say, two seconds to take a picture before having to move before the next tourist moves in. There is no way, a long conversation could be held whilst standing there.

I know this, because I have been there more than 5 times. Sometimes I really do wish to just be able to let go and accept poetic licence.

Verdict: The Last Will of Moira Leahy is haunting, sad but with an eventual hopeful ending. Although the story has its excesses that made for an uneven read, the book is still an overall solid, effective debut work.

Rating: I am having a hard time rating the book. On one hand, the essence of the sad story, the characters, the evocative writing were great ,I would give it a 8. But the excesses, some of the details, are kind of too much, and I would give it a 6. On the whole, I think it stands right in the middle:

7 – very good

Reading Next: Deep Kiss of Winter – Anthology