Review: A Taste of Midnight by Lara Adrian

A Taste of Midnight by Lara Adrian

Pages: 70

Published: December 5th, 2011 (Randomhouse Digital)

Series: Midnight Breed (9.5)

Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Further info: Goodreads | Amazon

Find the author online: Twitter | Website

A shimmering holiday gala lights up an ancient castle in the Scottish Highlands, but beautiful widowed Breedmate Danika MacConn feels alone in the crowd. Even among the friends and festivity of the Darkhaven celebration, she can’t forget her lost love, a fallen warrior of the Order. Her brief return to her mate’s homeland has become treacherous after rejecting the advances of a dangerous Edinburgh crime boss with a taste for blood sport. 

As Danika seeks to expose the vampire and his dark trade, she discovers an unexpected ally in his forbidding, enigmatic henchman, Brannoc, a man who exudes heat, danger, and dark menace—and seems somehow achingly familiar. Bran has his own reasons for wanting to keep Dani out of his employer’s business . . . and his own secrets he means to keep buried. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a woman who tempts the wildest part of his Breed nature—especially when that woman is Danika MacConn, the one woman capable of bringing him to his knees.

My Review

A Taste of Midnight is the perfect bridge between Deeper than Midnight and the yet unreleased Darker After Midnight.  Instead of meeting a brand-new character, readers get to revisit Danika MaConn, the widow of Conlan, a former member of the Order, a victim of their enemies.  Returning to Scotland, Con's homeland for the holidays, Danika tries to immerse herself in the world she left behind, but her grief for her lost mate and a run-in with a powerful, dangerous Breed male makes that impossible.  


Right away, Lara Adrian catapults readers back into the world of the Breed, which kinda felt like coming home, in a way.  Danika is a great choice for this novella's heroine.  She's such a strong, fierce female, and I've always admired her among all the other Breedmates.  Between her devotion to her son, and her inner grit and grace, Danika is a true heroine, and that shines through in this novel, as, even though she ends up mixed up in some bad business, she stands firm, protecting her son and herself as best as she can.  Like any good Lara Adrian novel, there's a powerful villain here, Reiver, who makes your skin crawl.  He's into human trafficking, which is about as evil as it gets in my opinion, and throughout A Taste of Midnight, I was itching to take him down myself.


I don't read many novellas, so I wasn't sure if A Taste of Midnight would be enough for me, considering I get attached to characters, and I read full-length novels so that I have plenty of time with them.  But pleasantly, A Taste of Midnight worked for me.  There was a good deal of action packed into 70 pages, which made for a very fast-paced read, and the romance in the novella developed quickly, but I actually thought it was very well done.  Brannoc was an amazing character, a strong but wounded male, and I loved his past with Danika, how it was revealed, and where Lara Adrian took them in this novella.  The two of them had such crackling chemistry, which led to a few trademark Lara Adrian steamy scenes, and a satisfying conclusion.  Overall, A Taste of Midnight definitely has whet my appetite and encouraged me to get back into this series. 

Review: Voodoo Dues by Stephany Simmons

Voodoo Dues by Stephany Simmons

Pages: 71

Published: 07.23.2011

Series: Lian and Figg (1)

Source: Received via author

Final Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Further info: Goodreads | Amazon

Find the author online: Website | Twitter

From the beginning of Figg’s employment, there is something not quite right about the bar. There are few customers, a parade of neighborhood psychics and pentacle adorned visitors, all coming to hold court with her enigmatic boss. Figg is not sure what is going on, but she is determined to find out!

When the local voodoo queen shows up, and the next morning her grandson ends up dead outside the bar things get interesting.

Figg pesters Lian into telling her the truth about his former life, and is thrust into a world where the things that go bump in the night are real. There’s a murder to solve, zombies to lay to rest and a villain that neither of them saw coming. 

My Review

Stephany Simmon’s novella, Voodoo Dues dives right into the action, setting the tone for this fast-paced, delightful urban fantasy offering.  We’re introduced to the mysterious Lian and the vivacious, spirited Figg, a bar owner and his bartender until they get mixed up in something neither of them ever bargained for.  I liked Figg at once – she’s saucy, self-aware, unique, and doesn’t pretend to be anything she isn’t.  I wasn’t sure about Lian – I didn’t quite understand him or his motivations at first, although it all became somewhat clearer over the course of the novella, but I definitely wanted more time with him, to truly “get” him. 

Voodoo Dues is a fun read, light-hearted at times, dipping into the serious at others.  As Lian and Figg become embroiled in voodoo culture, including the local voodoo queen, Rene Champtillion, it soon becomes clear they’re in over their head.  Neither of them expected to have to deal with someone raising zombies from the dead, much less the other dangers coming their way. 

The characters were what stood out in this novella for me.  Rene is a character I’d like to read more about, possibly even in her own short story or novella.  I was rather drawn to her, to the aura around her.  I also have a big soft spot for Carl, and his spirit guide.  There were several moments I snickered or laughed aloud thanks to him, and the unexpected comic relief he provided. 

I really loved the tension, sexual and otherwise, between Figg and Lian.  I was left craving more of that, of them.  They had a really cool vibe, and I would love to read even a full-length novel about them, in order to better explore their bond.  Voodoo Dues took them beyond where they had been, the employer-employee connection, kinda hurtled them toward the next level without ever fully stating they were there yet. 

Overall, I really enjoyed Voodoo Dues.  I can’t rate it a 4 or 5 star read, but in this case, 3.5 is NOT bad, in my opinion.  My rating is in no way meant to indicate I did not like this novella.  I simply felt as if it was too short!  The 71 pages flew by – I wanted, and needed more.  I sincerely hope that Stephany Simmons writes more, and I have hope, going on the Goodreads listing, calling VooDoo Dues the first in a series.  I need more of Lian and Figg, their interaction, his history, and their future adventures. 

Recommended for fans of: Patricia Briggs, Richelle Mead.

Memorable Quote

I strutted over to the Liberace inspired couch and took a seat, looking around at all the shiny, gaudy as hell decor. “Nice to meet you Carl.”

“I can’t tell you how happy I am that my cover is blown.” He was no longer speaking with effeminate attitude. The previous forced soprano dropped to a Barry White bass. Carl ripped the gaudy headdress off and threw it on the floor, the wig followed next, the jewelry, and then the dress.  Finally there was a very large, very bald black man standing in the middle of the room clad only in tightie whities.

“Um… awkward,” I said indicating his state of undress.

Disclaimer

In accordance with FTC guidelines, I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.  No money or compensation of any sort exchanged hands.   I review books with no intention of monetary gain; rather, I review books out of my love of reading. 

Review: Daimon by Jennifer L Armentrout

Daimon by Jennifer L Armentrout

Published: 05.10.2011 (Spencer Hill Press)

Pages: 62

Series: The Covenant (.5)

Rating: 3 1/2 of 5 stars

Further info: Goodreads / Amazon

Find the author online

Love in my world usually ended up with someone hearing “I smite thee!” as she was cursed to be some lame flower for the rest of her life.

For three years, Alexandria has lived among mortals—pretending to be like them and trying to forget the duty she'd been trained to fulfill as a child of a mortal and a demigod. At seventeen, she's pretty much accepted that she's a freak by mortal standards... and that she'll never be prepared for that duty.

According to her mother, that’s a good thing.

But as every descendant of the gods knows, Fate has a way of rearing her ugly head. A horrifying attack forces Alex to flee Miami and try to find her way back to the very place her mother had warned her she should never return—the Covenant. Every step that brings her closer to safety is one more step toward death… because she's being hunted by the very creatures she'd once trained to kill.  

The daimons have found her.

My Review

Alexandria has been trying to acclimate into normal, everyday human life, but she has a secret she can't tell anyone: she is not normal, and she does not truly belong in everyday, human life.  Alex is the offspring of a mortal and a demigod, which means she has ties to a part of the world that most people never know about.  Alex and her mother formerly called the Covenant home, where if they had stayed, Alex might have trained as a guard or another role in that life.  Instead, she and her mother are on the run, and laying low to not draw attention to themselves, either from the Covenant, or from daimons, who crave the aether half-bloods and pure-bloods have running in their veins.

Right away I developed a huge soft spot for Alex.  She's tough, and she's strong, and she can fight.  But she also, on some level, wants to belong, and since she is so different, it just isn't happening for her.  She has a smart mouth at times, but she has a big, huge heart, and it's easy to see in her interaction with her mother just how much she cares about the people that she loves.  She's pretty fierce.  I've seen a lot of people comparing her to Rose from Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series, and I can see the similarities, but Alex is a unique character all her own, too.

When a daimon tracks down Alex and her mother, Alex takes flight, desperately hoping to make it back to the nearest Covenant, and some sort of safety.  Reeling from the shock of the daimon's attack, and the losses she suffered, Alexandria nevertheless perseveres, making difficult choices to leave behind the life she'd been trying to build, and go back to the first home she ever knew.  She doesn't know if they will accept her.  She doesn't know if her mother's fears about the Covenant were right.  All she knows is that they may be her only chance at survival.

Leaving off on a breathless cliffhanger, Daimon leaves you anxious for more, as Jennifer Armentrout sets up this wonderful teaser to her novel, Half-Blood, due out in September.  The perfect mix of the paranormal, some mythology, and a hint of romance, Daimon is a fantastic prologue to Half-Blood.  

(Note: If you'd like to read Daimon, it is available for free at Spencer Hill Press's site, here.)

Memorable Quote

"Okay. He had a point but it wasn’t like I could tell him anything. I could see me now: Guess what? You ever watch Clash of the Titans or read any Greek fables? Well those gods are real and yeah, I’m sort of a descendant of them. Kind of like the stepchild no one wants to claim. Oh, and I hadn’t even been around mortals until three years ago. Can we still be friends?"- Alex