Steve Cavanagh: The Defence

 

In the first of a series, Steve Cavanagh shows the length a father will go to to save his daughter:

I have been wanting to start this series for a long time and this is the second book that I have read by Cavanagh. This book starts off with a bang (almost literally) and does not stop. It is a shorter book so Cavanagh does not waste any time getting right into the story. 

This book is really fast pace and does not slow down for a minute. Whether Eddie is in the courtroom trying to get a mob boss off for murder or in the "downtime" outside of the courtroom where he is trying to find to thwart the circumstance he has found himself in you wont want to put this book down. I enjoyed trying to figure everything out with Eddie from the evidence that he is reviewing the files for the trial, to trying to find his daughter, the bomb and what was really going on with the Mob. Cavanagh tackles all of this in this book but it never felt overwhelming or too much for the book, he was able to seamlessly put it all together.

If you don't want Eddie Flynn as your lawyer you should give your head a shake. I loved his ability to take his life experiences on the other side of the law and apply them to tactics as a lawyer. Eddie is smart, capable, manipulative, adaptive and able to think on his feet like no other. Plus he has a heart, especially for his daughter and how he got into his predicament in this book.

I don't think there are many courtroom procedural books that are written these day and i hope that the trend flows back that way as when done right they can have just as much mystery and thrills as police procedural ones.

I really enjoyed this book and I am look forward to reading the next book in this series.

Enjoy!!!!

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Alexis Maragold: This Safe Darkness

 

In her debut novel Alexis Maragold shows that Light can be found even in the darkness:

When I read the premise of this book I was really excited to read this book. It had the whole dystopian feel to it with human now living underground as the life above has taken on a hostile environment, not just from the sun but from Sols. I'll call the Sols like a reverse Vampire in a way as they only are able to come out when the Sun is up but they also suck all the blood out of any individual that they catch.

The world building is pretty straightforward and one that is common in Dystopian type books. Humans have been forced underground and a new rule/regime has been implemented. Women are seen as property and their worth is only determined as to whether they have the ability to have children. If they are not able to have children or do not yet have a husband or a child they are at the very bottom of society. This society rules by fear, and the greatest punishment of being taken to the surface. However, in order to keep numbers low, and to learn more about the Sols, 10 women are forced to the surface every year and if they are able to survive they are welcomed back, very few have ever returned.

I loved that Maragold decided to make Orelle an older FMC. She is in her 30s, has a disability (other than not being able to have children) that makes her weak and frail but she is neither weak or frail. She will do anything and everything to protect those around her. She really just wants a better life for not only herself, but also women who are seen 4th class citizens I will say I don't know what her overall diagnosis was, I don't think we are ever told it, just that she suffers from some sort of disease.

This book really had me for about 2/3 of the book, but the last third of the book felt really rushed and all of a sudden information dumping about the outside world. It was like Maragold needed to wrap a whole lot of story plot points up in the book in order to finish it that just took me out of the story. When I read this book I thought it was going to be a stand alone (and it could be as Maragold does wrap quite a few things up) and not a series but I now know it is going to be a series, so I am unsure why Maragold felt she needed to info dump right at the end,

This was was a good debut novel. I found the society and the life when Orelle is living underground to be really interesting and the highlight for me in the book. If there is a second book in the series I would check it out to see where Maragold takes the story but I'm not sure I would be invested in it if it does not have Orelle as the main character.

Enjoy!!!!

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Jaysea Lynn: For Whom the Belle Tolls

 

Jaysea Lynn redefines what happens to people once they pass away:

This book has such an interesting concept from the very beginning and Lynn's idea of what happens after we die, honestly sounds amazing. I love that Lynn had all the different religions come together in the afterlife and there is the paradise for those who do not believe as well and honestly is sounds (for lack of a better word) heavenly. This really has Lily exploring what she believed beforehand as well as her trying to decide if she wants to live another life.

Lily is such an honourable character. She has a huge heart, and wants to do better for those around her, no matter what religion they are or what they look like. She will put herself in danger to protect others time and time again because that is the right thing to do. Bel is a demon, but he is such a golden retriever that you can't help but love him. The way he is patient with Lily and how he respects the decisions that she makes is admirably, even if those decisions could harm him in the end. You feel their chemistry from the first time they meet, and I love that Lyn took her time in building their relationship.

This book also does a great job of what it means to be an adoptive parents and how Lily handles the whole situation is admirable.

I liked that Lynn had a whole different take on Demons, that they are actually really nice, in need of help and making sure that the souls go to the proper level in Hell depending if they were bad or horrible in their life. Your heart breaks a few times when younger souls come down and think they have been bad and deserve to to a level in hell based upon what they have been told by adults in their life.

The first 200 pages of this book are used to set up the afterworld and who Lily is as a character and this seems a little excessive. The book is over 600 pages that I feel like this part could have been shorten and more could have been focused on Bel, the war he was fighting as well as who was trying to access Hell. This part of the story is very much glazed over and not explained. I kept hoping that Lynn would have some battle scenes for Bel and who was trying to attack them, but this never happened.

This was a good read and i enjoyed my time, even if i thought it was a bit long. I would read another book by Lynn.

Enjoy!!!!

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K.M. Moronova: Your Knife, My Heart

K. M. Moronova put a whole new perspective of keeping those alive around you.

If you are wanted a twisted dark modern day military romance, then is this is for you. This book was all kinds of dark and Moronova didn't shy away from the details all the times. You really feel the stakes throughout the book as well as the tension between Cameron and Emery so your heart really gets going when you read this book. I personally did not want to put it down.

Basically Cameron is a Black MMC, who you don't really know if he is going to protect her or kill her, which is really his MO for all the partners that he gets. I mean he tries to kill her in their very first meeting even though he was told not to. You cannot help for feel for him though, the more you get to know him as a character. What he goes through to prove his worth is absolutely crazy.

Emery is a contradiction a lot of the time. there are times when she is the badass killer and other times where she doesn't seem capable of it and she is more timid than I thought she would be. I'm still not sure if that is Moronova writing her that way to keep the people around Emery on their toes or if Moronova really didn't know which way she wanted to take Emery as a character.

This has trial and games that many people will like, but these games are super super high stakes, as in fail and you die kind of stakes as well as you may complete them and still die, so you really don't know which side characters are going to make it in the end. Plus, everyone is out there for themselves except for Cameron as his main trial is to keep Emery alive. This may be seen as an advantage but often it is not as it creates more of a target on there back.

This is the first book that I have read by Moronova and I know it wont be the last, I need to read more by her and I can't wait to pick up another book by her. Truly one for those who like things on the darker side.

Enjoy!!!

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Laurie Forest: The Iron Flower

In the second book in Laurie Forest's Witch Chronicles series, things are about to get dark and desperate for the resistance.

I don't know why this series has does not have more hype about it. Forest has created an interesting world, plot/story and characters that rivals some of the popular books out there. The book is fast paced and you're not sure where Forest is going to take the story or characters and it is quite a ride throughout. This book had some amazing highs and some horrible lows that you didn't quit know where Forest was going to take a reader next. 

I enjoyed that Forest takes this book to a lot darker place and shows the Vogel followers ramping up in their hatred of people who are different from them. Forest also lets readers know that none of the characters are really safe in her books, and when I read the third book in this series that knowledge is now going to keep me even more on the edge of my seat. This book is bleak at times and you have to wonder what will break Elloren and what will keep her going.

Elloren is an interesting character as she is far from perfect. She has power within her that she cannot access, she make assumptions about people and events often. This is really seen when she interacts with the Amaz and not taking the time to understand their culture and their beliefs. However, Elloren is truly empathic to those around her, fiercely protect as well and she is not afraid to admit that she was wrong or to ask for help. Elloren feels like a full character who is changing and developing as the series goes on.

I think my one criticism is that I wish there was more than just Elloren's POV. We do get a few chapters that are written in third person to set the stage for some events but there are not many of them.

I can't wait to read the third book in this series to see where Forest takes the characters and plot and what she has instore for the resistance next.

Enjoy!!!

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Stacy Willingham: Only if You're Lucky

Stacy Willingham takes you to College where you can reinvent yourself and hope your past doesn't catch up to you:

This is the third book that I have read by Willingham and all I can really say is that I was expecting more. I was expecting a more interesting and fast paced plot with dynamic characters that would draw me into their story. The book moved at such a slow pace and personally i was able to figure out one of the major twists right at the beginning. Does Willingham throw a few more in there for good measure, but it all comes in the latter part of the book, I'd say with 20% left, that I was already over the story

The only character that I did find interesting was Lucy. You can tell there is more to her, you can tell that she manipulates everyone around her and is glad to be doing it. She had way more personality than Margot does in the story, which is probably why Margot is drawn to her over and over again.

I liked the dual main two timelines. There is a third one in there as well but we get so few chapters from when Eliza was alive that I don't count it as a main aspect of the book. personally I would have loved from the Eliza time frame, as it may have sped up the pacing of the book a bit.

This book wasn't for me. I have read a few college psychological books and this just didn't add anything new to the ones that I had previously read and was way slower. I understand that these books are often character led but there needs to be some interesting plot points to hold it all together.

Cheers!!!

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