Christine Amsden's Blog: Christine Amsden Author Blog, page 19

Book Review: Passion Unleashed

Another captivating book in the Demonica series that just keeps me wanting more. In this one we get the vampire incubus Wraith, who is injected with a rare poison and can only be saved if he gets a protective charm away from a woman. No problem, since to get the charm he just has to take her virginity. I mean, he;s an incubus so that’s pretty much his specialty. But if she loses her charm she’ll die, and Wraith falls in love with her…

Unlike in the previous volume, I wasn’t entirely sure how this would end well so I found it a lot more satisfying overall, even if vampires aren’t my cup of tea.

The best part was that the world continues to build and grow as it looks like the end of days may soon be upon us! Oh, and the sexy demon brothers find out they have another brother — half human. I’m looking forward to his story.

4/5

Touch of Fate FREE This Week

 

Touch of Fate was my debut novel, first published in 2006, a story of suspense about a woman who can predict the future but who cannot change the things she sees.

Marianne knows the future can’t be changed, but sometimes even a lifetime of experience can’t keep her from wanting to try. Sometimes, it’s too personal. With the shadow of a killer looming over her, Marianne is running out of time to learn the truth — about herself, about her power, and about the murderer.

Get the book for FREE in epub, mobi (kindle format), or pdf on Twilight Times’s website.

Book Review: Desire Unbound (Demonica #2)

This continues the story of the three incubus doctors/paramedics who run Underworld General Hospital. In this one, Shade, cursed to become insubstantial if he ever falls in love, falls in love. (Who didn’t see that one coming?) I did enjoy this and read it even more quickly than the first, partly because I was already familiar with the world so didn’t have to wade through a bit of confusion before I could begin to enjoy the story. But I’m rating it lower because I honestly didn’t find this story as compelling.

The biggest problem was that I saw the ending coming a mile away. And I mean almost from page one. Also, I was more compelled by a secondary romance (which began in the first book and is still not resolved yet).

I’m definitely enjoying this series and will continue devouring the books (already have the third one ready to go), but this isn’t likely to be my favorite volume. I do continue to recommend it to anyone who enjoys very grown-up romantic urban fantasy. This is no-holds steamy, so know that going in.

Rating: 3/5

Title: Desire Unbound (Demonica #2)

Author: Larissa Ione

Published February 2009

Book Review: Pleasure Unbound (Demonica #1)

An intriguing beginning to a series I definitely plan to keep reading…

Eidolon is an incubus doctor working at Underground General Hospital (UGH). He treats demons, mostly, although early in this story a human — well half-human, she just doesn’t know it — ends up in his ER. She’s a demon slayer whose world is about to turn upside down as she realizes how little she truly understands about the demonic underworld, not to mention herself.

I found the world here to be more intriguing than I expected. I’m usually not into the role-reversal thing where vampires aren’t so bad once you get to know them, but once I set aside my prejudice I found myself captivated by the world this author has created. The characters were interesting, reasonably well developed, and held me captivated. I read this book easily in a single sitting and can’t wait for more.

Like many books that immerse the reader into a complex world, it did take a few chapters to get off the ground. I actually had a bit of trouble right off the bat telling the difference between Eidolon and his two brothers. They were all present in the ER, and the point of view was a little light (not the deep probing viewpoint I myself write and am more often drawn to) so I kept getting mixed up as two who was the main character and what distinguished him from the others. This did ease up. I’m not saying it to discourage anyone from reading, just to say that some books may need a warm up and IMHO, this is one. But I think it’s worth it.

There’s a lot of steamy sex in here, in case the title didn’t tip you off. It’s hard to call it excessive since Eidolon’s an incubus (it’s really part of his nature). But it is pretty hard core, so know what you’re getting into.

If you’re in the mood for adult urban fantasy/paranormal romance, give this a shot. You may find it pleasantly surprising.

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Audiobooks: Because you can’t skim them.

A few weeks ago I spotted a blog hosting a 2014 book review challenge — the more books you review, the cooler your bragging rights. I was keen to sign up; after all, I read hundreds of books a year (yes, 2-3 per week). But the guidelines specified that audiobooks were not allowed.

I pouted. I got self-righteous. After all I’m legally blind, reading books in a text format (print or ebook) is not a viable option for me. And why shouldn’t an audiobook count? Am I not really a reader because the thousands of books I’ve read in the past decade were almost exclusively enjoyed in audiobook format? Did I waste all that time? Are my honest reviewer opinions less valuable because the story came through my ears rather than my eyes?

Listen, I know it’s a different experience. You’re using different parts of the brain to access and filter the information. But different does not imply that one experience or the other has to be inferior. Some readers enjoy both listening and reading the text for an even more complete experience, and why not?

You may think it’s easy for me to say, seeing as how I’m visually impaired. But believe it or not, it took me a long time to accept audiobooks in my life. I used to read so many books the library couldn’t stay ahead of me. And when my vision first began to fail me (16), I resisted the shift to audiobooks because of the cultural disdain. Listening to audiobooks, for me, was like surrendering to my handicap. When I first picked up audiobooks, I felt it as a personal failure.

And yet…

I’m not just a fast reader, I’m an impatient one. I might have read entire books in one sitting as a teen, but there was a lot of skimming involved, particularly when it came to long passages of description. Seriously, who cares what they’re wearing? Get on with the story! My eyes darted across the page with practiced skill, picking up on the important keywords and phrases that I knew would move the story itself along.

I can’t skim audiobooks. There are times when this is frustrating, but in the 14 years since I seriously started reading audiobooks it has done me a lot of good. I am forced to read more of the story and the resulting picture is far more complete.

I can’t speak for other’s reading experiences and I won’t presume to try, but I know that audiobooks have been helpful to me as both a reader and a writer. When many people ask, “Why audiobooks?” the first answer usually has something to do with how easy it is to read while doing something else — like commuting to work. And I do get a lot of reading done while I’m doing other things. But I think there are other advantages as well, and this is one that would serve the impatient reader well.

My first two audiobooks are available now through audible:

Movie Review: The Lego Movie

My 8-year-old son has been excited by the prospect of watching the Lego Movie for months, ever since he found out it was coming to the theaters. I confess, I did not share his enthusiasm. So much so that this morning, when the family decided to take the kids to the movie, I almost didn’t go. Wow, would that ever have been a mistake!

This movie is awesome. It ranks right up there with Shrek (the first one) and Cars (again, the first one). It had something in it for everyone, and I do mean EVERYONE. There was nonstop action, one-liners than never stopped coming, jokes that appealed to adults, jokes that appealed to kids, moments everyone was laughing at together, and to tie it all into a nice little bow — a moral that kids of all ages can appreciate.

The movie starts off with Emmett, a regular construction worker. Your “everyman” if you will — just one of the crew building lego skyscrapers exactly according to the instructions. He and the crew sang “Everything is awesome!” for hours while they worked. But when the workday is done and Emmett’s instructions are blown away by the wind, he has to chase after them and he gets involved in stopping a dastardly plot to “kragle” the world.” (Krazy Glue — some of the letters are obscured.)

This is a story about using your imagination. It’s about ordinary people making a difference. I cannot recommend it enough, and not just to kids or parents.

If you have kids, take them.

If you don’t have kids, borrow some (convince the parents you’re doing them a favor ).

If you can’t find any kids to borrow, then just go! You don’t need an excuse. Grown ups can play with legos too. And they can definitely enjoy this movie!

I don’t get a lot of chances to watch movies at the theater. This was a treat, worth every penny.

Note for parents of very young children (5 and under): There is nothing inherently inappropriate in this movie. There are some explosions and some lasers, and a lot of nonstop action. It’s all with minifigs and doesn’t look real. My biggest concern as a parent would be for kids who are easily overstimulated. As much as my 8-year-old loved it, he was such a child and would not have enjoyed it before he was 5. (He would have hidden his face in my chest.) This movie was not made with the 5 and under crowd in mind. This isn’t to discourage you, just to say “know your kids.”

Book Review: Leopard’s Prey

Renny is a New Orleans cop (and a leopard shape shifter) hunting a serial killer who murders in a strange, ritualistic manner. Meanwhile, he falls hard for a rock star turned jazz singer who is just emerging as a leopard and has no idea who or what she is.

There was a lot to like about this story. For one thing, it was satisfyingly steamy romance with all the wildness of a shape shifter story and all that implies — inner animals, mating, etc. The characters were reasonably well developed, though I have a sense that I might have understood Renny better had I read the prequels first. I’m still not sure I understand his past, or his problem with saying the three magic words, just from reading this story. The book was fast-paced, difficult to put down, and very engaging.

But this wild ride didn’t end very well, and I knew it wouldn’t from pretty early on. I had the identity of the serial killer pegged from the moment we met him and nothing swayed me from that certain knowledge for a second. I complained recently about books in which there are absolutely no clues present, making the ultimate revelation is stupid and arbitrary. I said I would prefer the other extreme if I had to choose between the two and I stick by it. Even knowing who it was, I did enjoy the wild ride, especially sine the book was as much romance as mystery. Still, in a perfect world the mystery is somewhere in between obvious and unguessable.

I also realized early on that the romantic tension would be a quest for the three magic words. Honestly, there’s not a lot left when you establish two characters as soulmates from a previous life who have just recognized one another in their current incarnation thanks to the instincts of the beasts within. It’s kind of cool at first, and very steamy, but not great for sustained romantic tension.

All in all I would read more books by this author and I recommend this book to people who enjoy steamy shifter romance.

Rating: 3.5/5

Title: Leopard’s Prey

Author: Christine Feehan

ISBN: 0515151556

Published May 2013

Book Review: Deeds of a Colored Soldier During the Rebellion

I confess that I am absolutely enchanted. Through a fictionalized character, F. W. Abel has captured the heart of what it was to be a black man during the Civil War. In a drawling, first-person narrative, Jedediah Worth tells a reporter about his youth. How he set off to war alongside his master, Wade Wentworth, escaped, joined a colored regiment in the North, and fought for the cause of freeing his people.

Jedediah himself is what sucked me into this story. You know me — I’m a character girl. Whatever I read, regardless of genre, if you give me a solid character I want to cheer for then I’m right there with you. I haven’t read much historical fiction (maybe I should get into it), but I am so glad that I happened upon this particular book.

This book is what I like to call honest. It’s not poetic, it’s real. And Jed, well, he doesn’t cut himself any slack when he tells the story of his own life. He’s not a perfect man, and even though I disagree with him that he didn’t deserve the Medal of Honor, I can understand why he says he didn’t. After all, he was just in the right place at the right time.

I find a lot of books on war and the military to be inaccessible to me as an average citizen of the world who has never seen that horror. It’s one of the reasons I shy away from it, but there was something in this that bridged the gap and brought the situation to life.

After the book establishes its frame (a reporter relaying this story to us shortly after Jed’s death, based on reports from the man himself), we go back to Kentucky in the days when people thought the war would be short and two boys riding off to it thought it would be a grand adventure. When Jed went along he didn’t even know what an abolitionist was, nor did he have any thought of running away. Honestly, he’s treated very well by young Wade (who is an easily likable character who does Jed a great kindness). And though I know slavery was at times a cruel institution (you see plenty of that side too), I very much respected the author for choosing this scenario for Jed. The reason is simple: It made the desire for freedom about something more than the need to escape a terrible situation. Jed wasn’t in a terrible situation. He was in the position of being a very well-cared for horse. But still, a horse.

This is one of those books that will make you think, laugh, cry, shudder, and cringe.

I rarely recommend books to absolutely everyone, but in this case I’m going to make an exception. Even if this isn’t normally your thing, give it a try. This is a rare gem.

Rating: 5/5

Title: Deeds of a Colored Soldier During the Rebellion, Volume 1: From the Beginning to Chickamauga

Author: F. W. Abel

Published February 5, 2014

Movie Review: The Core

The other night I was in the mood for a disaster flick. You know what I’m talking about — implausible scenario involving loads of death and destruction before the hero and heroine save the world in some unlikely way. So I checked around and found The Core on Netflix instant viewing.

This movie had a few moments, I’ll grant, but it was short on those gripping scenes of destruction. There were a few… they all seemed too short to me. Too abrupt. Then we were back with the hero and heroine as they discovered that the Earth’s core had stopped rotating and decided to start it up again with a well-placed nuclear bombs. The burrowed all the way to the center of the planet in a specially designed ship featuring an unotanium (yes) hull.

The characters were exactly what you’d expect (there was even the token black man — I thought of him as “token” though I’m sure he had another name), and they died in precisely the order I anticipated. I wish they’d have died a little better. Some of the moments of death were almost random and hard to take seriously.

All in all, I wanted more things to burn or blow up. I guess I’m just bloodthirsty that way.

But if you’re the kind of person who watches these movies for the heroes and the problem solving, go for it. You can find it on your Netflix instant viewing.

Book Review: The River of no Return

Well-constructed, well-told, well-characterized… these are phrases I so rarely associate with time travel that I had no choice but to give this book five stars! What a great read. I could not put this down. My only reservation about this book is that the ending called for a sequel, yet an Internet search shows no evidence of the existence of one. I know this doesn’t necessarily mean anything, but I would feel so much better about this book if the author would just have “work in progress…” or “coming soon…” on her web page!

Nick is a 19th century Marquis who finds himself in the 21st century. He jumped forward in time an instant before he would have died on a battlefield in Spain — apparently, not an uncommon occurrence. The Guild collected him, educated him on life in the early 21st century, and told him there was no going back. Except, they lied. And when they need him to go back to 1815 to take care of a problem, they start telling him small pieces of the truth that make him more suspicious than ever.

Come to find out, there is more than one group of people trying to control time travelers and the river of time. Nick has to decide which side he’s on, a decision that becomes more complicated when he learns that the future itself is in danger.

I found Nick to be a credible man-out-of time, and I liked that it was hard for him to slip back into life in the early 1800′s after life in the early 21st century. There was a bit of romance in here that was okay, although it didn’t drive the story. Julia has problems of her own, and secrets she’s been warned to keep.

I highly recommend this book to fantasy/scifi readers who like time travel.

Rating: 5/5

Title: The River of No Return

Author: Bee Ridgway

Published April 2013