Romance reviews, writing meta and the occasional rant from a couple of techie readers/writers.
LA Banks, author of awesome paranormal romance, is gravely ill with late stage adrenal cancer. A fund has been set up to help with her medical expenses. Please help and donate.
Stone Kissed is a nice departure from the usual paranormal fare of vamps, were, and other shapeshifters that are all over Romancelandia right now. Oh, I still love all those other groups, but I picked up the book because I was intrigued – witches really aren’t used enough in paranormals as of late, and I don’t understand why.
Even better, her take on the heroine doesn’t make her omnipotent, though her power is an interesting one. Delia can talk to carved stone, and the statues come to life when she is around. At the beginning of the novel, Delia is estranged from her father, and she gets word that their ancestral home has been burnt down, and that he is gravely injured. She runs home, and finds that his medical care is going to cost a pretty penny.
Enter our broody, hunky hero, Grant. He has a PAST that he won’t talk about, commitment issues, loads of cash and the hots for Delia. He offers to buy the family home and have Delia restore it. After some hesitation, she agrees, and since this is romance land, one thing leads to another, and by that I mean that P goes into V. There are complications, and a couple times I wanted to smack Grant and Delia for their commitment issues. LOL. Also, there is an epic awesome baddie who is just as interesting as Delia, who covets the family estate for her own reasons. I won’t spoil the how and why, but it was refreshing to see a villain who could hold her own as a character – often so many are just one-dimensional baddies.
All in all, I give Stone Kissed a solid B+, and I would definitely pick up another of Ms. Stevens novels.
Carina Press – Kindle – Nook – Kobo
Impromptu Romance Review: The Goddess Test, by Aimee Carter
I have a soft spot for Hades/Persephone stories. While The Goddess Test is not a conventional Hades/Persephone story, (and I can’t explain that more without spoilers), it is absolutely wonderful. Seriously, I read it start to end in one reading.
The Goddess Test is the story of Kate, an 18-year-old who has spent most of her young life caring for her mother, who has cancer. Her mom’s dying wish is to go home to the town where she was born, Eden, Michigan. There she meets a mean girl, who decides to pull a prank. When the prank goes wrong, Henry helps Kate out, but at a price. When the time comes, Kate is skeptical, but in time she accepts his challenge, though it may cost her life.
I am not a huge YA reader, but even if you don’t like YA, this is a great book. Carter doesn’t spend it dwelling on high school mundane crap, nor does she waste her high school scenes. While you’re reading them, you don’t realize how much she’s setting up, and the payoff at the end of the book is totally worth it.
The Goddess Test gets an A+, and I definitely ordering a copy to keep when it releases on April 26th.
Upcoming Reviews
Just so y’all know what’s coming up:
Katie:
Falke’s Peak by Anna Leigh Keaton & Madison Layle
Laird of Darkness by Nicole North
Heather:
Stone Kissed by Keri Stevens
The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
Laird of Darkness might end up being a joint review - it looks pretty yummy and Katie and I both dig hot Scots as you may have divined from the sheer amount of Ewan McGregor picspam on my main Tumblr. Anyway, I am almost finished with Stone Kissed, and it is a nice change of pace from the sheer amount of vamps and weres in paranormal romance. I’ll be reading the Goddess Test next, which is a YA novel. I’m not huge in YA, but it’s a Hades/Persephone story, and I am a sucker for Hades/Persephone. I am also a sucker for Aphrodite stories, and while she’s easier to find, people tend to make her a flake or a bitch, and really Aphrodite is neither, but that’s a rant for another post.
