Book Review: Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh

I just read Nalini Singh’s Slave to Sensation. I wasn’t planning to.

I think I have found a new fav author. See I picked up Angel’s Blood which I saw many of my flist promoting(so if any of you know Nalini Singh tell her that word of mouth IS selling her books and bringing her new readers). The cover was pretty and when I read the back it intrigued me, so I looked at the list of other books by her and I saw the Psy-Changeling Series listed, went and checked out Slave to Sensation. I had to pick my jaw up off the ground. WHOA folks why the hell didn’t anyone ever tell me about that series? This is right the heck up my alley. From the first time I read Anne McCaffery’s The Rowan, stories about telepaths, telekinetics, and the whole range of ‘tele’ talents have appealed to me.

I read the first four chapters last night and slept fitfully because I kept waking up wondering what would happen to Sascha. I picked it back up this morning and finished it off about half an hour ago (I read fast). I am very thankful I thought to look up this author, on the sly just checked that inside list of other books. That was a hell of a good story… and I will now go off to whimper from the headache I am getting from the eyestrain. You know what? It was worth it!

So what was it about?

There are three races. the Psy, the changelings and the humans. And the Psy are the bosses.

Sascha Duncan lives in a world of cool brutal logic. Feelings are to be scorned. With emotion, there is no control. Or that is what she has been led to believe all her life. Sascha is flawed. She is a Psy, telepathic, mild telekinetic and flawed. Flawed because she feels those emotions, and has to hide it to survive, else she’ll be rehabilitated ie turned into a mindless drone.

Enter Lucas Hunter, a changeling; part man part animal, who is trying to solve a series of murders committed by a Psy, including the murder of a fellow packmate. He is also super uber sexy(fans self). Sascha is his ticket into finding the murderer and breaking through the thick walls the Psys have built around their culture. His attraction to Sascha makes him determined to break through her thick walls also.

The twists and turns of this book blindsided me more than once. The characters were well written. The pace was fast and I was halfway through the book before I realized I had been reading for so long. I loved the descriptions of the PsyNet and.. web.

I would highly recommend giving this book a read.
And if you do, and you like it or have a differing opinion, feel free to let me know.

You Slay Me By Katie MacAlister

This book sat overlong on my TBR pile, and my biggest complaint is that I didn’t get around to reading it sooner.

Katie MacAlister brings us Aisling Grey, a courier trying to deliver something to someone for her uncle, whom she works for. Unfortunately from the first moment Aisling steps into the apartment things begin to go very very wrong. The woman she is delivering the six-hundred-year-old statue to is dead. A man named Drake Vireo, incredibly sexy and just happens to be a dragon, is in the apartment also and steals said statue. Naturally it is then that the police show up.

Aisling hunts down Drake at a local bar and finds out he is a Wyvern (and she is his mate! Oh yum!). Aisling goes from one misadventure to another; finds out she is a Guardian and she conjures up a demon which appears in the form of a smart-assed shaggy Newfoundland who calls itself Jim.

I would have liked more ’screen time’ with the scrumptious Drake Vireo  , but we can’t have everything, can we? This book was fun, I found myself snickering through. Jim had me laughing outright.

Goddess of the Rose by P.C. Cast

There is so much I can say about this book, that it sat for about a year in my TBR pile before I picked it up. That when I sat down to read it, I was swept away. That I fell in love with the cover, that I have another author I am going to keep my eye on. That when I was done reading it I had this urge to plant rosebushes.

All that being said, the next thing to ask is, what’s it about? Well it is about a woman who had this special, blood connect with roses accidentally sets free an imprisoned Guardian of the Realm of the Rose which sends her to that realm where she is informed she is a high priestess whose duty is to the roses of said realm. The guardian/Hero? Is the famed Minotaur of legend. If I tell much more I’ll give the story away. It was a great, fun read which made me cry twice which says something (either I am a pathetic sap and cry easily, or the book really is that good .

The Characters: Heroine was an older, mid thirties I’d guess, woman, which I liked. The hero was a bit emoish for me and didn’t have enough ’screen time’. In fact I would have loved a lot more from his point of view, it is not every book that you have the hero being the Minotaur. There was one point near the beginning where I felt that P.C. Cast kinda jumped on a soapbox about Romances (the mc lambastes a date who downplays romance novels) and the opening seemed a bit forced. Once you get past that though, good read.

The cover, I so have to mention the cover. It is a sparkly golden color with a rose on it. Just gorgeous, and is the reason I picked it up in the first place. Now when I went to recommend it to someone else I couldn’t find any pics of the printing with my cover, there is a new cover which I don’t feel is quite as pretty. But that is just me

I have my eye on P.C. Cast’s other books, this one was such a fun read I would like to see if her other books are as enjoyable.

And now to go check on my rose bushes…

The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines

I read this over the past couple of days, and I have to say it was time well spent. So, what’s the book about? Where do I start? Remember the story about Cinderella? It ends with Happily Ever After. But as we all know there is no such thing as Happily Ever After. Cinderella? Her real name is Danielle Whiteshore and yes she marries the Prince (whose name is Armand) but all is not well in fairytale land and just a few months after the wedding Danielle is attacked by her stepsister, Charlotte. Charlotte suddenly has powers she never had before and nearly kills Danielle. Enter Talia, a fairy gifted martial arts expert (also known as Sleeping beauty), to save the day. Sorta. They realize that Charlotte has somehow abducted Prince Armand. So Danielle and Talia are joined by Snow (White) and set out to rescue the helpless prince.

If I say any more I’d be rambling forever. The characters are well made, not just characters but people, you aren’t just reading about them, the book sucked me into it and wouldn’t let me put it down until I finished it. (yes the kids ate top ramen for two nights in a row for dinner) The worldbuilding is unique and the descriptions vivid. I love the way Jim C. Hines has taken the fairytales we have grown up with and turned them and twisted them around, turning the vague fairytale characters of Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty into people we can identify with. I love his twist on the seven dwarves too. It is an easy read, with twists and turns I totally wasn’t expecting. Good job.

In all I think this book is well worth the money I paid for it and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to get away from the current world and visit a world where fairys, goblins and trolls exist and where princesses really truly kick ass. Go pick it up and enjoy.

And it is such a pretty cover too.

Jim C. Hines livejournal which is an interesting read.

In conclusion, I do believe I am going to go hunt down his other books now; Goblin Quest, Goblin Hero and Goblin War.

Is this thing on?

Good morning and what a wonderful New Year. A new president and new policies certainly gives things an upbeat tone.

So last year was a total bust, reading wise.  This year I am going to change that.

I am trying for a book a week at the least. Lets see if I can do it.

If you have any titles you want to pass along, comment here and I will see about getting to it.

Swinging By…

I have been a bit absent online. This summer really sucked and I haven’t read anything except dr reports and emergancy room releases.

I am hoping life can get back to normal soon.

Sorry folks.

Blog Online

Welcome to my book blog. **gasp** did I just say…..blog? man that is scary. Ok, so here’s the idea.

Basically, after I read a book, I will do a book report on it, here. Give my thoughts and opinions and whether or not I would recommend it, where you can buy it, who wrote it and so on.

These might not necessarily be new books, nor bestsellers, but books that I read because I found something about then interesting. I usually avoid ‘fad books’.

So here are a few warnings for you:

~I re-read books. There are some books that I love so much that I have, literally, read the covers off of.

~I bounce from genre to genre

~When I read a book by a certain author, I will usually go on a binge of reading (or trying to) ALL of that authors work.

~I have gone months without touching a book. So posts may come sporatically.

~I am way out of practice with doing book reports/review

~I do not like giving spoilers.

~I try to give every genre a chance. I do stress the try

I am willing to take book suggestions. Please, if you just read something you think deserves a look, let me know and I will see about it.

Who am I?

I am an unpublished writer, a mother of six (soon to be seven) happily married stay at home, slightly eccentric lady. Our household includes five boys, one girl, two dogs (an inside dog and an outside dog), and three cats.

**waves**