Sterling (Mageri #1) by Dannika Dark

Zoë Merrick lived a less than ordinary life, until late one night, she was brutally attacked and left for dead.

A man named Adam spotted her running down the road covered in blood, and took her under his wing. Zoë didn't just survive that night - she underwent a physical transformation and acquired strange new abilities. Severed from her old life, her frustration grows as she tries to comprehend what's happening to her.

Serendipity leads her to Justus. He's handsome, arrogant, and not entirely human. Zoë learns the truth about what she is, and just how dangerous their world is for a young Mage. The only way she will understand her power is by putting her trust in this man, and accepting the protection he offers.

When her immortal freedom is threatened by the one man who has a right to claim her, Zoë learns the price of freedom...and the value of loyalty.

                                                                      My Review
It’s just wrong that I have been putting off this review for such a long time (she hangs her head in shame). This book/series is seriously rockin’ my world! ER-MAH-GERD!
 

 I just love it and I can’t get enough. No joke people.  I have been haunting Ms. Dark’s blog, facebook and twitter accounts just to get the latest updates on the next book in this series.


So before I gush and geek out on you too much. I will try to control myself and narrow my focus on this first book.
Sterling has everything that I personally look for in a great book. The pace is good, the characters are well introduced and develop nicely throughout the book. Plus, we know they will only grow and develop more as the series continues. The protagonist Zoë, has a sense of humor, isn’t whiney and didn’t annoy me one bit...and hey, that’s saying a lot! There is action, fighting, romance, magic and otherworldly creatures. What more could a girl ask for?

Ms. Dark did and amazing job with this, her debut novel. I am so impressed with the level of creative thought that went into crafting the world of the Mageri. This is a departure from, vampires, werewolves, zombies and the like.

Also, I have to give props to Ms. Dark as not only does she write her novels, she edits, publishes and does the cover art as well. All while holding down a regular job. Holly Heck! How!?! When I found that out I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. Impressive is an understatement.

As you can see I am a fan. Therefore, I give Sterling by Dannika Dark 5 stars. 

Why I won't read '50 Shades Of Grey' by E. L. James

        This review is intended for mature audiences.

I know, I know,... It's almost considered "sacrilege" for me not to read this book/series according to some circles. Especially since the target audience is geared towards me.?. Really?...I guess?
However I do have my reasons and here they are.

But first, a wee description of said novel:

When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.

Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.

This book is intended for mature audiences  

....Oh my!

Now, I know the book is a New York Times best seller. Honestly, that means piddly-diddly to me.  My reasons for reading a book have little to do with what's popular and more to do with peer reviews. Oh, yeah, I am all about my reviews. Hence this little blog.

So, here they are folks. Some awesome reviews from my fellow readers who have walked through the fire and sacrificed hours of their lives they will never get back. All in order to save little ole you and me from a totally pointless, tasteless, time suck.

God Bless you ladies! Know that your sacrifice was not in vain.

One reviewer states, " About half way through the book, I looked up the author to see if she was a teenager. I really did because the characters are out of a 16 year old's fantasy. The main male character is a billionaire (not a millionaire but a billionaire) who speaks fluent French, is basically a concert level pianist, is a fully trained pilot, is athletic, drop dead gorgeous, tall, built perfectly with an enormous penis, and the best lover on the planet. In addition, he's not only self made but is using his money to combat world hunger. Oh yeah, and all of this at the ripe old age of 26! And on top of that, he's never working. Every second is spent having sex or texting and emailing the female character. His billions seem to have just come about by magic. It seriously feels like 2 teenage girls got together and decided to create their "dream man" and came up with Christian Grey
Then come the sex scenes. The first one is tolerable but as she goes on, they become so unbelievable that it becomes more laughable than erotic. She orgasms at the drop of a hat. He says her name and she orgasms. He simply touches her and she orgasms. It seems that she's climaxing on every page.

Then there's the writing. If you take out the parts where the female character is blushing or chewing her lips, the book will be down to about 50 pages. Almost on every single page, there is a whole section devoted to her blushing, chewing her lips or wondering "Jeez" about something or another. Then there's the use of "shades of". He's "fifty shades of @#$%% up," "she turned 7 shades of crimson," "he's ten shades of x,y, and z." Seriously?

The writing is just not up to par, the characters are unbelievable, and the sex verges on the comical. I don't know what happens in the remaining books and I do not intend to read them to find out. But given the maturity level of the first book, I imagine that they get married, have 2 perfect children, cure world hunger, and live happily ever after while riding into the sunset, as the female character climaxes on her horse causing her to chew her bottom lip and blush fifty shades of crimson. Jeez!  

By meymoon

 

Another reviewer, ' I downloaded the book to my Kindle because it was on the best seller list and had 4 stars overall rating on Amazon. I wish I'd taken the time to read some of the reviews. As it turns out I agree with the negative.
I found myself thinking "Twilight, plus some spanking, minus the sparkly vampires." Here, I'll save you all some time (SPOILER ALERT):

Once upon a time...
I'm Ana. I'm clumsy and naive. I like books. I dig this guy. He couldn't possibly like me. He's rich. I wonder if he's gay? His eyes are gray. Super gray. Intensely gray. Intense AND gray. Serious and gray. Super gray. Dark and gray. [insert 100+ other ways to say "gray eyes" here]
I blush. I gasp. He touches me "down there." I gasp again. He gasps. We both gasp. I blush some more. I gasp some more. I refer to my genitals as "down there" a few more times. I blush some more. Sorry, I mean I "flush" some more. I bite my lip. He gasps a lot more. More gasping. More blushing/flushing. More lip biting. Still more gasping.
The end.

The bad:
It was an interesting concept - for a "romance" novel. However the story is weak, the pace is slow and awkward, the characters come through as more schizophrenic than complicated, the "romance" is a jeuvenile and dysfunctional crush, and the "erotic" scenes alternate between "Penthouse Forum" and something that sounds like it was written by a painfully shy and sheltered 13 year old. I have now read through some of the rave reviews and I have to assume that these were posted by people easily shocked and/or titillated. I can't imagine what fans are comparing this to when they describe this as "good."

The good:
Nice cover art.     

By Ebeth822

 

So there you have it folks. There are plenty more reviews just like these all over the interwebz. I think these reviewers said it best and discribed the,... err, ehem,... book, in enough detail that I get the picture.

Thanks ladies, for your time served and I am sure my audience thanks you as well.  

Cheers

 

The Celestra Series by Addison Moore (books 1-6)

 

Reviews get a little tricky when your reviewing a series as a whole. So here goes...

I am giving this series and A+, 5 stars, however you want to label it. This series was so addictive! I was like crack dipped in heroine dipped in chocolate. Oh yeah, all responsibility went out the window for this lady while ensconced in these puppies.

The characters in this series are unique, hilarious, frustrating, aggravating, clever, and stupid all at the same time.

Our beloved protagonist Skyla Messenger just makes me want too,... hummm,..lets see how can I paint a visual? If anyone has seen the movie Airplane (yep and oldie but a goodie) you will probably recall the scene where one of the female passengers is freaking out, screaming, “WE GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE!” over and over again. All the while, the other passengers are lined up to get one or two good licks in. Slapping the passenger around a little in order to get her to calm down. Yes, even the Nun had a baseball bat in hand if I recall.?.
Okay, that was a digression, but that is how I feel about Skyla. I want to smack her! Smack her hard! At the same time she is so hilarious and I am totally rooting for her.  It doesn’t matter what sort of stupid stuff she gets herself into. I’m still on her team. This girl is a hoot and I can’t help but crack-up every time one of her “brilliant’ plans goes awry.
Then there are these guys. Logan, Gage, Ellis and Marshall (he arrives on the scene in book 2). Good Lord! All are good looking, charming, the perfect boyfriend man-whore types. Well, not Ellis, he's just a big pot-head. But seriously, I didn’t care. For some reason these books were written with so much humor and snark that I didn’t take them seriously and totally went along for the ride. Laughing all the way.

If you really want to invest in a huge time suck, you appreciate dark humor and wit. Then by all means check out these books!

I only provided the description for book 1 Ethereal below.  Cheers!

                                                     Ethereal By Addison Moore

Sixteen year-old, Skyla Messenger is a dead girl walking.

When her newly remarried mother moves the family to Paragon Island, to a house that is rumored to be haunted, Skyla finds refuge in Logan Oliver, a boy who shares her unique ability to read minds.

Skyla discovers Logan holds the answers to the questions she’s been looking for, but Logan’s reluctance to give her the knowledge she desires leaves her believing Logan has a few secrets of his own.

Skyla’s bloodlines may just be connected to the most powerful angelic beings that roam the earth, and the more she knows, the more danger she seems to be in.

Suddenly an entire faction of earthbound angels wants her dead, at least she still has Logan, or does she?

Other books in the Celestra Series include;

Tremble (Celestra Series Book 2)
Burn (Celestra Series Book 3)
Wicked (Celestra Series Book 4)
Vex (Celestra Series Book 5)
Expel (Celestra Series Book 6)
Toxic (Celestra Series Book 7) Coming Soon!

A.M. Hudson (Dark Secrets Series)

Review's for books 1-3

This has probably been one of the most frustrating series I have read, and the author still has more books lined up in this series! However, my being frustrated is indeed a compliment to the author and not a critique.

In the first book, ‘Tears Of The Broken’ we are introduced to the main characters. We get a little back story, a set-up for a love triangle and some heartache. I wasn’t super impressed with the story line in the first book. I felt the characters needed further development as there were some definite weak ones. Mike and Emily for example. It kinda seemed like a typical YA, I have a vampire boyfriend, novel. I knew it was a series and I hoped it would produce more fruit in the novels to come.

I was not disappointed in the second book, ‘The Knight of the Rose.’  In this book our beloved author tortures us with a good ole fashion Greek tragedy. I literally wept when David was saying goodbye to Ara and wrote her a song. Yes, it sounds super cheesy but the author pulled if off in such beautify and heart breaking grace that is wasn’t cheesy at all. Yep cried like a baby!
I was so frustrated with Ara, her self-deprecating ways and her selfish decisions drove me batty. Frustration with David, his choices and being so duty bound. Not to mention super irritated by Mike and him being so hung up on Ara that he was willing to be Ara’s second choice just as long as he could be with her. Ugh! Grow a pair!
When I finished this book I actually wrote on fb that I wanted to throw this book across the room and set it on fire. I was so upset, I did not want it to go down that way.
Don’t misunderstand me. This is not a contradiction to what I wrote previously. This author seriously delivered a tragic story and her writing was so beautiful and eloquent.
The only thing that gave me hope was I knew there was a third book coming out soon.

Thank you Jesus! Book 3 in the series, ‘The Heart’s Ashes’ really starts coming full circle and the author redeems herself with the story line.
Wow, this book had it all and the amazing thing is,...there are more books to come.
In this book we get a huge surprise with our protagonist. Yeah, didn’t see that coming! Ms. Hudson really keeps the reader on their toes in this novel. I didn’t know which characters to trust, who to love, who to hate until about 3/4 of the way in.  A LOT is explained in this book and A LOT of character development happens. She wraps up the story nicely with no big cliff hangers. However, the reader knows there are some things that still need to be resolved and our author is not finished with us yet :)

I would really encourage people to read this series. One may feel frustrated with the first two books, but hang in there. The pay off with the third book is really where it’s at.

I am excited to see how this series ends and look forward to more from this author. A.M. Hudson really does have a gift.

Please read below for book descriptions.

Tears of the Broken (Dark Secrets)

Publication Date: November 27, 2011

"Powerfully integrated vampire series."

"Romance at its most heartbreaking."

Blood and death aside, love is all that should matter...

Tragedy brought her to a new place.
Fate put her in the arms of a vampire.
The truth could destroy her.

Hailed as the most inspiring read since Twilight.
Take a journey of tears and heartache as
Ara finds that love is a reason to live.
Will the vampire be her knight, or will the truth
about him finish what fate started?

*There will be 5-6 books in this series.

* The book is delivered in Australian English

The Knight of the Rose (Dark Secrets)

March 29, 2012

Book II in the Dark Secrets series.

"Deeply integrated series. You need to read Tears of the Broken before reading this one."

Love was only the beginning of her nightmares.

When Ara discovered the existence of vampires, she was given the choice between a life as one of them, or a life without her true love.

But fate has a funny way of making choices for you.

After breaking the heart of the boy she loves with a truth he cannot bear, Ara will find herself in the arms of a predator who will steal her innocence and force the hand of fate.

Will David Knight become her rescuer once again, or will he be too late?

The Heart's Ashes (Dark Secrets)

Publication Date: June 21, 2012 Third book in the internationally successful Dark Secrets series.

"I was in tears 90% of the time. Hudson knows how to keep you on the edge of you seat." ~Khelsey Jackson

"Completely unexpected twists that had the tears rolling down my face or grinning with pure joy." ~Tracey Spiteri (YA Book Addict)

Death never leaves us. Once it's touched our souls, it hungers for our return--waiting for us to fall. And if it finds Ara again, she will have no way to escape.

Moving on from David was hard, forgetting the abduction and torture was almost impossible, but nothing as devastating as the thought that now, because of her, David might face the horrific punishments of the Set.

No one knows where David went after he lost Ara, but she can only hope he's the one leaving subtle clues for her to discover, and it makes her desperate to find him--desperate enough that she would risk her life, hanging out with an informant who means to kill her. What truths she is told about David's dark past, though, will threaten to change her heart and destroy the way Ara perceives everything. She must ask herself if it's right to love one monster, then hate the one who tried to destroy her.

In all her searching, the promise of immortality will finally be renewed, but sold at a price Ara's not sure she's willing to pay.

Is love enough to make her submit to this new role, or will it fail her once again and leave her reaching back for the grasp of death?