Hallowed

In the second installment of the Unearthly Trilogy (after Unearthly), teenaged Clara Gardner is learning more about her abilities and obligations as an angelblood, a human who is part angel by birth. She and her mother and brother, all angelbloods, had moved to Wyoming because of the fiery visions Clara was having and the wildfire had, indeed, occurred. In a departure from what she believed she was destined to do, Clara had rescued a fellow student, Tucker, rather than Christian, another angelblood. Now, Clara is confused, being unsure of what her true purpose might be and torn between destiny and free will. She’s becoming very sure of one thing, though—there is going to be a death and someone she loves will not be at the graveside service.

Adding to Clara’s fear is the unwanted attention of a fallen angel, known as a Black Wing, a being who has tried to kill her and her mother and who creates an aura of overwhelming sorrow whenever he’s near. Unable to tell Tucker everything because of the danger full knowledge would bring, Clara’s main source of comfort is all the other angelbloods in her community and there are quite a few. Maggie, Clara’s mom, has her own secrets and begins to divulge them to Clara and her brother, Jeffrey, culminating in two major revelations.

Angels are the theme of more and more dark fantasy or paranormal books these days, especially in the young adult arena, but Hand brings a fresh perspective to the angelbloods of her trilogy. The religious aspect is handled lightly but with enough depth to convey understanding and the expected rollercoaster of feelings of those just learning what they are—confusion, anger, fear, joy, guilt, shock, sadness, peace—are shown to the reader as though there really is not much difference between angelblood and human teenagers when it comes to emotions. That in itself is unusual and very welcome in this subgenre. The author also gives Maggie a complexity that is often ignored in young adult novels and it’s refreshing to have a parent play such a central role.

The trouble with a really good book is having to wait so long for the next in the trilogy or series. The third Unearthly novel cannot come too soon and Hallowed is the first book I’ll be putting on my list of favorites in 2012.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, January 2012.

Adrien English Mysteries

This edition contains the first two novels in the series, Fatal Shadows and A Dangerous Thing.

Fatal Shadows introduces us to Adrien English, who lives above his Old Pasadena bookstore and is rudely awakened one morning by a pair of detectives, Chan and Riordan, The pair have come to give him the bad news that his employee and long-time friend has been murdered. Not only do they want to know Adrien’s whereabouts at the time of the crime but also whether Adrien was sleeping with Robert. It becomes obvious that the detectives think Robert’s homosexuality had something to do with his death and Riordan in particular seems to have a need to show his manliness. It soon strikes Adrien that he himself may be a target of the murderer but Riordan doesn’t take him seriously. In the meantime, small facts here and there lead Adrien to suspect a connection to his and Robert’s high school days and the body count begins to grow. That’s not all that’s growing though—Adrien can’t help an increasing attraction to Jake Riordan who may or may not be interested in return.

In A Dangerous Thing, Adrien takes a brief vacation to a ranch he inherited near Sonora, leaving his rather strange employee, Angus, in charge of the bookstore. He hopes the peace and solitude will help him break the writer’s block he’s having with his second novel but, just before arriving, he discovers a body lying in the road. Not being a stupid man, Adrien races back down the road and finally reaches someone in the Sheriff’s office. Unfortunately, by the time the sheriff and his deputy arrive, the dead man is gone. A long-lost gold mine, a trespassing team of archaeologists who think Adrien is the trespasser, a field of nicely-growing pot, an 1857 stagecoach robbery and more missing bodies (alive or not) ramp up the tension that Adrien was hoping to escape for a few days. Will Detective Jake Riordan come to the rescue or will perhaps Adrien be the one who rescues Jake after a fashion?

In case it isn’t obvious the two main characters (and some others) are gay but this really is no surprise if the reader does a minimum of research first. The mysteries are light but intriguing puzzles and, although there is some romance (and just plain sex), it’s a pretty good blend. I don’t particularly like to read sex scenes but, in this case, it’s not because the characters are gay—I don’t like it with hetero couples either. So, how did I deal with it? Simple. I used my trusty finger and the touch screen to move on down the road. On the other hand, as a former bookseller, I really enjoyed the details about Adrien’s bookstore, especially the squirrelly writing group and the peculiarities of Angus.

The author has an extensive body of work, plenty to keep a reader going for quite some time, and these are the first two of five installments of the Adrien English Mysteries. I’ll be looking for the next three which, unfortunately, will take me to the end of the series and then I’ll just have to try a lot of Lanyon‘s other books. I expect they’ll be every bit as entertaining as Fatal Shadows and A Dangerous Thing.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, January 2012.

Incarnate

Eighteen-year-old Ana has spent her entire life abused and reviled because she is a nosoul, born without a past into a world in which everyone else has been continually reincarnated for 5,000 years. Those who are reborn remember all their past lives and those of other people.  Ana was born when Ciana died and not reborn and most people believe she stole Ciana’s rebirth.  Ana has left the uncaring Li, the mother who hates her, setting out to find the answers about who and what she is and why she was born. She must go to Heart, the city where all but a few live, and it is a journey filled with bitter cold and the deadly attacks of sylphs whose burns never heal.

Ana meets a young man, Sam, who saves her life and shares with her a love of music while not seeming to be overly concerned about who she is. Sam leads her to Heart, a city with a huge temple and soaring white walls that pulse with heat and perhaps life. There she finds enemies and friends and those who would fight dragons and she begins her search to answer the questions that obsess her. Why was she born? Did she steal Ciana’s life? Is she the only nosoul—or newsoul—or just the first and what will happen to her when she dies? Will she be allowed to stay in Heart or is solitary exile her destiny?

Incarnate is the first entry in the Newsoul trilogy and is based on an intriguing concept, that of endless reincarnation and memory. It’s difficult to define, really, as it has elements of dark fantasy and science fiction as well as romance but that is not a flaw because it will have crossgenre appeal. Ms. Meadows develops her characters nicely and, at the end of the book, I found myself wanting to know what will happen to them all, not just the “good” ones. An odd thing happened as I didn’t always care very much for Ana, becoming rather tired of her self-pity, but that feeling faded soon after I finished and I now believe she is a character who will stay in my mind for quite a while.

One last note—the cover of Incarnate is one of the most striking I have seen in all my years as a reader and a bookseller and I’m pretty sure  booksellers in brick & mortar stores will shelve this face-out and in their windows for maximum effect.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, January 2012.

The Winter Sea

Being a big fan of historical fiction I was excited to dive right into this book. First of all, I want to say that this is a beautifully written book and I loved the atmospheric scenes of Scotland, the great job the author did with the local dialect, no easy feat there, and the witty banter between Carrie and her agent, Jane, Carrie and Jimmy, Carrie and Graham, and Carrie and Stewart.

I also loved the premise–the idea of genetic memory–and have read postulations on the idea that memories could be passed down to our descendants as well as eye and hair color. It certainly makes sense to me as I have come to understand that even our hands have a memory of their own. Yes! That hand-eye coordination that gunslingers have? It isn’t all connected to the brain, you know, it’s kept as memory in the limb. Okay, off topic here.

Genetic memory aside, I found the frequent juxtaposition between the first person POV in the present time and the 3^rd person POV as Carrie plunges into the memories of her 16^th century ancestor somewhat jarring. I’d get all cozy into one story and in the next chapter I’d be dumped into another story and another time.

I also felt that the author used her present day character to give the reader historical lessons as a way to set the stage for her ancestral story, but I would rather she had allowed her readers to have the intelligence to know their history, or go look it up. And as a writer, I’d always been taught to show not tell, so these passages felt like instruction from a school teacher.

I thought both stories could have quite frankly have stood alone and I would have happily read both, I just didn’t enjoy reading them in one book.

Last, but not least, I felt cheated to hear Carrie discussing the ending with her agent. If the author needs to rewrite the ending to suit her readers, please let her do it off-stage. As a reader this is sure not what I paid for! What next? Will the author ask the readers how the story should end? BTW: I knew how it was going to end the minute she mentioned the stranger in town.

Okay, I’m sure this author felt a strong need to try something new, and obviously her editor and publisher thought it terrific or it wouldn’t have sold and after all, this is only one person’s opinion and it’s still a darn good sight better than many historical fiction.

Reviewed by guest reviewer RP Dahlke, November 2011.

Gone with a Handsomer Man

Teeny Templeton did the unthinkable—she decided her life was heading in exactly the direction she always wanted. She was about to get married to a wonderful, wealthy Charleston man and, being a former pastry chef, she was making her own wedding cake and leaving her less-than-wonderful youth behind. What more could any girl want?

Probably she would want to NOT come across her fiance, Bing, playing badminton…naked…with a pair of equally naked females.  On top of that outrage, he takes out a restraining order against her for throwing peaches at him. So, there she is, stranded in a strange town with no job, no money, no home to go back to and only Bing’s stepmother, Dora, to give her support.

Crushed, heartbroken, Teeny thinks things can’t possibly get worse but then her fiance is found dead and all roads of suspicion are pointing her way.  Her collection of poisonous family recipes won’t help if the cops find it and it seems that one of those badminton players has designs on the mansion Dora has loaned Teeny. Bing’s peculiar sister shows up demanding his money and Dora wants to paint everything pink. It will take an obnoxious private eye and an ex-boyfriend to get Teeny out of the mess she’s in before things spiral completely out of control—or can they?

Gone with a Handsomer Man has all the elements of a terrific Southern mystery—skullduggery, a loveable dog, romance, a dotty stepmother, a cranky P.I., old money charm and sleaze and plenty of misdirection. This is West‘s first mystery after several acclaimed works of Southern fiction and a delightful one it is. Reader Marguerite Gavin adds to the pleasure with her perfect intonations of different Southern accents and I’m looking forward with great anticipation to next April’s A Teeny Bit of Trouble.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, October 2011.

Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball

It’s Christmas and Cora Crowder just can’t get into any kind of Christmas spirit.  None of it feels right.  She’s a relatively new Christian, with minimal support in the city.  Her family puts the “fun” in dysfunctional, so they are more of a downer than anyone needs.

Simon Derrick is the serious man who is the boss of Cora’s boss at work.  They really don’t know each other until they are both at the same odd bookstore at the same time.  They also both receive tickets to a well-kept secret: The Sage Street Annual Christmas Ball.  Neither really has any intention of going.  This is a romance, so the reader knows better.

Paul writes a believable love story about two people from varying backgrounds, united by their faith.  She manages to interweave fairies and wizards into this faith without a great deal of hoopla and uproar; all things are possible.  While reading this, I was reminded a great deal of Grace Livingston Hill’s work (updated quite a bit) and also of the works of Emilie Loring.  Fans of either author should be happy to read Ms. Paul, if they haven’t already.

Reviewed by P.J. Coldren, April 2011.

Sylvester, Or the Wicked Uncle

Abridged audio version read by Richard Armitage
Naxos Audiobooks, 2009
9789626349250
Sample

Silence fell. Miss Marlow sat gazing abstractedly at a Buhl cabinet; and his grace of Salford, unaccustomed to such treatment, eyed her in gathering resentment. He was much inclined to pick up the newspaper again, and was only deterred from doing so by the reflection that disgust at her want of conduct was no excuse for lowering his own standard of good manners. He said in the voice of one trying to set a bashful schoolgirl at her ease: ‘Your father tells me, Miss Marlow, that you are a notable horsewoman.’

‘Does he?’ she responded. ‘Well, he told us that you showed him the way with the Heythrop.’

He glanced quickly down at her, but decided, after an instant, that this remark sprang from inanity. ‘I imagine I need not tell you that I did no such thing!’

‘Oh, no! I am very sure you did not,’ she said.

He almost jumped; and being now convinced that this seeming gaucherie was deliberate began to feel as much interested as he was ruffled. Perhaps there was rather more to this little provincial than he had supposed, though why she should utter malicious remarks he was at a loss to understand.

At first glance, Sylvester is not the usual sort of book I like. I’m not a fan of romance novels, the Regency period holds no historical interest for me, and Georgette Heyer’s punctuation style, with its excess of dashes and exclamation marks and inadequate use of commas, drives me crazy. In fact, having been subjected to numerous recommendations of her work, I attempted to read Cotillion a couple of years ago and barely made it beyond the first chapter.

I am a fan of the British actor Richard Armitage, however, and he happens to have narrated abridged audiobooks of three Heyer works, among them Sylvester. After comparing synopses of the three novels, I settled on Sylvester, and downloaded it from iTunes.

Was I instantly hooked? No, not really. I enjoyed it, to be sure, but it was more the appeal of Armitage’s voice than the story itself that had me listening to it over and over. In time I purchased the audiobook of Venetia, also read by Armitage, and though I enjoyed that one as well, I kept going back to Sylvester. Curious to see what had been cut from the original, I checked Sylvester out of the local library.

That’s what finally hooked me. The idiosyncratic punctuation is as annoying as ever, but I was able to look past it and enjoy the lively and frequently humorous budding romance between Sylvester, the arrogant duke of Salford, and Phoebe Marlow, whose quick pen and quicker tongue get her into more trouble than she can handle.

Sylvester is a young, handsome, wealthy, and very eligible bachelor who has decided that the time has come to choose a wife. When his godmother hears of this, she contrives to arrange a meeting between Sylvester and her granddaughter, Phoebe Marlow. Sylvester and Phoebe had already met, however, and neither had been left with a good impression of the other; Sylvester found Phoebe utterly forgettable, whereas Phoebe, piqued by Sylvester’s apparent arrogance, was inspired to write a pseudonymous novel whose villain she modeled on him.

Dreading the thought of a marriage proposal from Sylvester, Phoebe persuades her friend Tom Orde to help her flee to London in the midst of a snowstorm. An unfortunate accident maroons them at a wayside inn, however, where they are discovered by none other than Sylvester, himself fleeing Phoebe’s dreadful family. Sylvester cannot help taking pity on them, and soon the enforced togetherness has both Sylvester and Phoebe re-assessing their opinions about each other.

Just as things seem to be heating up between them, however, Phoebe’s book is published, and though her name is not attached to it she is quickly revealed to be the author of the scathing satire. Then Phoebe finds herself an unwitting accomplice when Sylvester’s young nephew is kidnapped, and once more Sylvester must come to her rescue.

A romance novel wouldn’t be a romance novel without the payoff, the happily-ever-after ending, and Sylvester is no exception; there’s no real doubt that Sylvester and Phoebe will find a way to put their differences behind them and confess their true feelings for each other by the end of the book. Sylvester’s appeal for me, therefore, comes from elsewhere. Anyone who reads this blog regularly probably won’t be surprised to learn that what appeals to me the most are the main characters themselves, particularly as they are revealed through the eyes of the other. For all his cold aloofness, Sylvester is shown to be a man of deep sensitivity and compassion, who does not hesitate to aid Tom and Phoebe when Tom’s leg is broken during Phoebe’s escape attempt. I thoroughly enjoyed observing Phoebe’s gradual reconsideration of her first impression of Sylvester as she gets to know him better:

[I]t could not be denied that [Sylvester] was a delightful companion; and one, moreover, with whom it was not necessary to mind one’s tongue. His sense of humour, too, was lively: often if a fatuous remark were uttered, or someone behaved in a fashion so typical as to be ludicrous, Phoebe would look instinctively towards him, knowing that he must be sharing her amusement. It was strange how the dullest party could be enjoyed because there was one person present whose eyes could be met for the fraction of a second, in wordless appreciation of a joke unshared by others: almost as strange as the insipidity of parties at which that person was not present. Oh, no! Miss Marlow, though fully alive to his arrogance, his selfishness, and his detestable vanity had no intention—no immediate intention—of repulsing Sylvester.

Sylvester, for his part, while Phoebe’s flight from his anticipated proposal merely wounds his ego, he is cut to the bone when he discovers how she satirized him in her novel after he has started to develop feelings for her. The girl he once dismissed as a mere country dab, dowdy and unmemorable, soon becomes his pet “Sparrow,” and he finds himself smitten with her quick tongue, lively humor, and generous heart; as his mother observes:

[A]lthough Sylvester had said that Phoebe was not beautiful she had not expected to find her a thin slip of a girl, with a brown complexion and nothing to recommend her but a pair of speaking grey eyes. If Sylvester, who knew his own worth, and had coolly made out a list of the qualities he considered indispensable in his bride, had decided that only this girl would satisfy him, he had fallen more deeply in love than his mother had thought possible.

In addition to the principals, many of the supporting characters are likewise appealing and contributed to my thorough enjoyment of this book. Of particular delight is the comically foppish Sir Nugent Fotherby:

Beside Sylvester’s quiet elegance… Sir Nugent presented all the appearance of a coxcomb. He was a tall man, rather willowy in build, by no means unhandsome, but so tightly laced-in at the waist, so exaggeratedly padded at the shoulders, that he looked a little ridiculous. From the striking hat set rakishly on his Corinthian crop… to his gleaming boots, everything he wore seemed to have been chosen for the purpose of making him look conspicuous.

Sir Nugent seeks to marry Sylvester’s widowed sister-in-law and become stepfather to his young nephew, but he is no match for a mischievous and stubborn six-year-old. The comical scenes between Sir Nugent and Edmund are among my favorites in the whole book, highlighting Heyer’s flair for comedy. Phoebe and Sylvester’s verbal sparring is great fun to read (and listen to!), but the encounters between Sir Nugent and Edmund reveal a more visual style of comedy. It’s a pity that Sylvester has never been filmed, because I have no doubt the entire interlude in France would be hilarious to watch.

Two characters appear in name only, but their influence is nonetheless unmistakable. Verena Marlow, Phoebe’s mother, and Sylvester’s twin brother Henry, both died before the events in Sylvester (Verena when Phoebe only an infant), yet Phoebe and Sylvester owe much of their respective characters and personalities to them. Phoebe’s tomboyish, forthright nature (as well as her reputation as a formidable horsewoman), which get her into so much trouble, are traits inherited from her mother, who happens to have been a dear friend of Sylvester’s mother. As for Henry Rayne, Phoebe comes to realize that his sudden death caused Sylvester, as his mother says, to “liv[e] in some desolate Polar region,” which contributed to the apparent arrogance she initially finds so detestable.

Finally, I have to express my appreciation for Heyer’s gentle touch with the burgeoning romance between Phoebe and Sylvester. I tend to like love stories where the principals fall in love almost despite themselves, or where the realization sneaks up on them without their knowing it. When Sylvester proposes to Phoebe at last, even though the whole book has been leading up to that moment, it’s almost as much of a surprise to the reader as it is to him. When he subsequently blurts out that he never meant to propose in the first place, even while sharing Phoebe’s indignation it’s hard not to sympathize with Sylvester at the same time. As his mother remarks, falling in love with Phoebe has clearly unhinged him:

‘I daresay you had no intention of reducing him to this sad state, but I feel you ought, in common charity, to allow him at least to explain himself. Very likely it would settle his mind, and it won’t do for Salford to become addle-brained, you know! Do but consider the consternation of the Family, my dear!’

I’m still not a fan of romance novels, and find the Regency period as uninteresting as ever, and I’m in no rush to read any more of Heyer’s work. That said, however, Sylvester is now probably one of my favorite “comfort read” books.

As for the audiobook, apart from the incentive of Armitage’s reading (does there need to be any other?), the abridgement unfortunately omits many of the more comical elements from the latter third of the book, after Edmund’s kidnapping, and so Sir Nugent’s role is greatly reduced. In addition there are some nuances of character, Sylvester’s in particular, that have been trimmed. I did not really miss these omissions until after I had read the complete book, however, as the plot remains largely intact, but it was discovering them that made me enjoy Sylvester even more. Armitage is a wonderful narrator, and does an excellent job modulating his voice to bring each character to life. It is certainly worth the investment if you’re a fan of audiobooks, and I hope Armitage can be persuaded to do more, once he’s finished filming The Hobbit.

Reviewed by Laura Taylor, February 2011, on Beyond the Blurb; reprinted here with permission.

Dark Lover

This isn’t your Twilight tween-vampire-romance. In fact, this book shouldn’t be read by anyone under the age of 21 or at least 18! And don’t let the word “romance” turn you away so fast.

Take everything you know about vampires: fangs, feeding on blood, regeneration, turning to mist or bats, immorality, steaks to the heart, turning to dust in the sun, turning humans into vamps etc… put it all in a box and set it aside because J.R. Ward’s vampires aren’t your run of the mill vamps. Ward’s species includes warriors and the civilians and Doggen they protect.

Now, think big… like 6’9 with shoulders and thighs that would put Conan to shame, think leather and steel-toed boots… biker, not 80’s hair band. Picture long black hair, wrap around shades, and the most ticked off, mean expression imaginable. Now you have just seen Wrath, the King of his race and the last pure-breed vampire, the leader who refuses to lead and only continues to live for vengeance. Oh, and he has no use for humans… at all.

Let’s return to that box and see what Ward’s vamps have. Fangs- check. Feeding on blood- check but only on vamps of the opposite sex. Human blood just isn’t strong enough for them to live off of. Regeneration- check for the warriors of the race, not so much for the others. Turning to mist/bats- no bats here but they can dematerialize to travel. Immortality- not really. All vamps can be killed almost as easily as a human, though the warriors are a bit tougher. Think slow aging as opposed to being immortal. Steaks to the heart- check or any other mortal wound would do it. Turing to dust in the sun- check, these vamps still can’t go out during the day. Oh and turning humans into vamps- doesn’t happen. You’re either born with the vamp blood or not.

Now, think pale… as in albino but without the red eyes, think undead…as in soul-less, not the roaming zombie kind and lastly, think of how babies smell after a bath… yes I said babies smell… as in baby powder. You now will recognize a Lesser if you see (or smell) one.

Since the beginning of time, the Lessening Society (i.e. Lessers) has been hunting the vampire race at the bidding of the Omega, whose sole purpose is revenge against his sister, the Scribe Virgin. The vampires are her creation and are losing the war, soon to become extinct as the number of the race’s warriors, aka The Black Dagger Brotherhood, has dwindled to just six after the lessers most recent attack.

The war is raging on in present day Caldwell, New York, unbeknownst to the humans that live there. Doesn’t sound very ‘romantic’ huh? Well, imagine a tall woman… 5’9 with legs that don’t want to end. Think supermodel attractive with long black hair. Now you’ve seen Beth, a reporter for the Caldwell Courier Journal and a half-breed vamp whose about to transition into a full blow vampire, though she doesn’t know it yet. In the latest attack by the lesser, Beth’s warrior vamp father, Darius was killed before he could make her aware of her heritage. His dying request to Wrath was for the King to help Beth through the transition (by sharing his pure blood), which many half-breeds don’t survive. Since Wrath owed Darius, he set out to fulfill the request. Little did he know he was going to find his mate in Beth.

Dark Lover is full of action as the Brotherhood and the lessers wage their war. The romance between Beth and Wrath is woven in amongst the battles. However, readers should be aware that the bedroom scenes are very graphic and contain strong descriptive language. Don’t let the word ‘romance’ stop you from enjoying this different take on vampires. If you’re a vamp fan, action fan, or even a romance fan, you will quickly fall in love with Dark Lover.

Reviewed by Brenda Cothern, November 2010.

Laurel McKay is hopeful that she will find what she is looking for through The Love Club.  Divorced with two children, her life is full with family, a job as a loan underwriter, an overly critical, perfectionist mother, a colorful collection of friends and the occasional intrusion of her ex-husband.  She signs up with a local dating service and the fun begins when her dates start dropping like flies.  Laurel becomes the prime suspect which leads her to try her hand at some amateur detective work with some hilarious results.  Add one hot sheriff’s detective and you have the makings of a very enjoyable romantic mystery.

The characters are entertaining, the dialogue sharp and their interaction with Laurel makes this reader wish that she could join in the fun.  Laurel is likeable and for the most part believable, even with the occasional faux pas.

Dying for a Date makes you want to run to the phone to find your own local dating service.  If dating could be this much fun, it may not be all that bad after all!

Reviewed by Nancy Burns Brooking, October 2010.

This is the third of three Ilona Andrews reviews.

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Magic Strikes
Ilona Andrews
Ace Books
0441017029
Mass Market

Kate Daniels is one of my favorite heroines in contemporary fantasy. One of the reasons is the hard work and solid characterization put in by Ilona and Gordon Andrews. Readers get to see character development based on a consistent value system.

In this third installment of the “Magic” series which began with “Magic Bites,” Kate is facing a new enemy who wants to do away with the half-breed weres. The Rakshasa are crueler than anything Kate’s fought before, wreaking devastating damage on their victims. The center of the action takes place in a gladiator-style arena where both sides contest for a magical treasure that will give them reign over the other.

Of course, Curran is back, too. And the tension is definitely heating up between him and Kate. He means to have her as mate and she’d rather strangle him–or would she? This book, more than its two predecessors in the series, is crossing over into the romance genre.  The humor is still intact and there’s nothing ‘sweet’ about this book that would make me want to put it down.

Magic Strikes

While my review paints this story as serious, Andrews pens some lines and scenarios that had me screaming with laughter as I read long past the time I intended to go to bed, totally unable to put the book down. Character development, action, romance, humor, and strong pacing all add up to the best read so far in the series. I hope there are many more to come from this very talented and hard-working team.

Reviewed by Becky Kyle.