4/5 Review: Good Vampires Go To Heaven by Sandra Hill

WHEN HE WAS BAD . . .

Two-thousand-year-old vampire demon Zeb is supposed to spend eternity turning mortal sinners into bad guy Lucipires like himself. That way, they can grow their numbers and fight the vampire angels known as Vangels. But Zeb is a bad boy in a good way—secretly working as a double agent for none other than St. Michael the Archangel in hopes of one day earning his wings. Problem is, Zeb’s betrayal is discovered.

Hello, demon dungeon.

HE WAS VERY BAD . . .

Until Regina, a foxy, flame-haired Vangel witch on a rescue mission, busts out Zeb, along with three oddball Lucipire witches. Hello, temptation!

BUT TOGETHER THEY WERE VERY GOOD . . . !

Their escape unleashes a war to defeat all Vangels forevermore. In an epic madcap battle between good and evil, a Demon just might earn his wings . . . and spend eternity with the Vangel of his wildest dreams.

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The basic premise is that back in the day, the Vikings pissed off God with their heathen ways and worship of other deities. He was going to smite them all, until the Archangel Michael convinced Him to give them a chance at redemption. They would live as vampires/ angels-in-training for hundreds of years. Their mission is twofold. --1-- To fight demons who wish to harvest human souls to hell. And --2-- to help those humans set on a sinful path --to change to a righteous one. Seven brothers make up the head of the vangels.

There are so many awesome aspects in the pages of Good Vampires go to Heaven. I loved the characters. They are numerous and individually distinctive. I loved the Zeb, the non-vangel. I am hoping to read the entire series. I enjoyed the “near-sex,” it was nice to see Zeb and Regina and the way the Sparks flew when they were together. I was not expecting humor and this book is hilarious at so many times. I liked the religious/biblical aspect. The Viking vampire angels are out there doing God’s work. They’re saving individual souls and battling the evil Hell vamps.

Overall, I didn’t hate the book. It was fast paced, had some action, introduced a new sort of pantheon, and had some old friends in it. If you are a fan of this series give it a try. It fell flat for me, but may work for you. It won’t stop me from picking up the next one in the series though. Maybe next time it will rock my socks. One so-so book does not make a bad series.



4/5 Review: Tarnished: The St. Croix Chronicles by Karina Cooper

Author Karina Cooper enthralls with her stunning new series, The St. Croix Chronicles. Cooper, whose haunting Dark Mission novels set a new standard for paranormal romance, carries readers into the shadows of a very different Victorian London, where science skirts the line between magic and mechanics. A magnificent talent writing in the vein of such paranormal and urban fantasy superstars as J.R. Ward, Jeaniene Frost, Gail Carriger, and Meljean Brook, Cooper introduces readers to a truly remarkable heroine: Cherry St. Croix. Debutante by day and bounty hunter by night, Cherry makes a truly smashing debut in Tarnished, as she trawls the seedy underbelly of an alternate London in search of a killer…and finds herself at odds with the dangerous—and dangerously handsome—criminal kingpin, Micajah Hawke, ruler of the Midnight Menagerie.

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It has been a very, very long time since I got so excited over fiction [the last time it was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and before that I, Robot (the latter when being re-read no longer tasted as delicious as the first bite but -- oh, well! That is normal)].

Steampunk, but more than that. This series can turn into electrickpunk (I coined that term, thank you). Steam technology was at its peak in this novel and no one had faith in diesel anymore, especially after the Arabian Bubbles. But as it was there was a possibility of a new energy source in the form of manipulation of electricity. It is intriguing to see if the story will go down the third lane.

Even if it does not, I should care very little. I loved the way Cherry's character was developed. She did not want to blindly confirm to the society but at the same time her character was not exaggerated it became pretentious. Pragmatic, that was who she was. And the plot was logical too, if you consider the Victorian London setting (though I had a question about ladies being taught to cook because as far as my knowledge of that era goes, cooking was considered as vulgar and unladylike -- sewing and gardening were okay but cooking, you leave that for your cook to settle). And more than everything I just adore Karina Cooper writing style. She said she believed that she was a good storyteller. Well, you know what? I share that belief.

I was left hungry for more. Cannot wait for the second installment to come out.

Review: One Good Earl by Sarah MacLean

One Good Earl Deserves a Lover, the second book in New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean’s award-winning Rules of Scoundrels series, is a lively, romantic adventure, starring a lovable, sometimes bumbling heroine and a sexy, leading man who offer up plenty of steamy sexual tension.

Nearly engaged to Lord Castleton, the always proper and logical Lady Philippa “Pippa” Marbury wants to learn about London’s dark side before she happily heads off to the country and embraces married life. But it’s in London’s shadowy corners where she meets Cross, the brooding, mysterious bookkeeper of The Fallen Angel, London’s most notorious and coveted gaming hell. He’s a rogue in every sense of the word. Or is he?

The heroes of the Rule of Scoundrels books will steal the hearts of their heroines and readers alike!

One Good Earl Deserves a Lover by Sarah MacLean is a great combination of passion and humor.  It is the second installment in series The Rules of Scoundrels.  It can be read as a standalone but I wish I had read the first book, A Rogue by Any Other Name first.  The book grabbed my attention and kept me interested from the first page

Lady Phillipa Marbury is the fourth daughter of the Marquess.  She knows there is something different about her.  She would rather read then worry about balls and dressing up.  She has been betrothed and knows although they have very little in common that he is a kind man and will treat her well.  Being the studious young thing she is she decides to live life to its fullest and research the forbidden side of life.  Phillipa needs a guide to the seedy side of London and she wants it to be the Earl of Harlow – commonly known only as Cross.

Cross finds Pippa in his room and has him wondering what and how she got into his private office and points out he has made a mistake in his accounting, and then asks him to teach her what goes on between a man and woman in bed.  He turns her away until she breaks him down and he realizes he may have met his match in Pippa.

             Cross is a different type of hero but I felt he and Pippa are meant for each other.  Ms. MacLean’s research on the time period is evident and her writing takes you back in time.  The sexual tension between Pippa and Cross is evident and when they come together it is passionate but not over the top.

If you are looking for a lovely sexually charged period romance I would highly recommend this one, and I look forward to reading more of the series.