September 23, 2009

Hidden Currents by Christine Feehan (Drake Sisters, Book 7)

Filed under: Light Reading, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Science Fiction - Fantasy — Tags: , , , — susan @ 11:40 pm

I just finished reading the latest Drake sisters novel written by Christine Feehan and I definitely liked it. It was really different not just from the other Drake sisters books, but from most other romance books. It wasn’t the normal lighthearted fantasy that you would normally see in a love story.

I was very shocked that they abused her character the way they did, but it did make for a very touching story. It was very interesting read, just really surprising that they would go to such levels of abuse for a main character in a Romance/fantasy novel.

I was excited to pick up this book on several levels. I needed to find out finally what happens to Elle and the completion of the story of the seven sisters. I wanted to understand her magic which had been hinted at being all of the talents; I wondered how they would combine the talents, and why Elle wasn’t a more dominant figure with such powers. They had also foreshadowed so much in the other books about her and Sheriff Jackson so I was looking forward to see how they get together.

I was really shocked at the beginning of this book that someone as powerful as Elle could get captured. Once the abuse was done, it was touching to follow someone who had gone through such torture. I expected it to be like watching a car wreck and not being able to look away, but really her struggle to try to come back from the brink, and her strength and determination were encouraging.

The emotional turmoil was a bit of a downer, but it is a good story and great characters to follow. The paranormal fantasy parts were very interesting and I was glad that they showed all the sisters and their partners using their powers and being such an integral part of the plot. In all, this book isn’t as light and fun, but it is a great read and worth staying up late for!

March 28, 2009

No Rest for the Witches, A Story Collection by Four Great Authors

Filed under: Light Reading, Paranormal Romance, Romance, Science Fiction - Fantasy — Tags: , , , , , , — susan @ 12:42 pm

MaryJanice Davidson, Cheyenne McCray, Christine Warren, and Lori Handeland combine in this short story collection which enthralls and amuses. It’s short, it’s light and funny, and yet these stories also manage to have enough depth and character development to keep the me captivated through to the end.

I’ve taken to trying to read more short stories, in order to get to sleep at a decent hour. (If I get hooked and have to read through to the last page, then it helps if the book I’m reading only has 50 pages instead of 850). Unfortunately, many story collections leave me dissapointed by their positive potential and subsequent dissapointment. This book was different!

Each story was unique, and had great strong leading ladies. Several of them made me laugh out loud. I love reading stories that make me smile, giggle, and laugh as I romp along with the main character from first battle, to blundering through to save the day.

These stories don’t have a lot in common, except that the main characters use magic in some way. One witch doesn’t know she has powers or how to use them, while in another story there is an epic battle between war-weary witches and demons. They all have great characters, good plotlines, fun love scenes, and good solid writing.

March 15, 2009

Nightseer by Laurell K Hamilton

Filed under: Paranormal Romance, Science Fiction - Fantasy — Tags: , , — susan @ 12:32 pm

Of course I picked up this book because of my love for Laurell K Hamilton’s other books. The Anita Blake books are about as good as it gets; vampires, violence, sex, fantasy characters, magick, and great writing. But this book is Hamilton’s first book, or her first published book, which came way before the Blake series.

I found this book to be action-packed and captivating. It is very different from the Blake books in that it is straight fantasy. The setting is not modern day; this story is set in another world entirely, a Renaissance type land filled with sorcerors, vampires and prophets.

The story is choppy and has issues with the beginning and end. The plot is a bit confusing, as if the story starts in the middle. The back story is so complicated, there needs to be a whole nother first book. But the writing takes the cake and the characters are fun and interesting.

Laurell K Hamilton is just a superb writer. In short, this seems a typical debut novel - what it lacks in polish it makes up for in a great story with depth and interesting characters and action-packed plot!

February 10, 2009

Turbulent Sea by Christine Feehan

Filed under: Paranormal Romance, Romance — Tags: , , , , — susan @ 5:20 pm

Book: Turbulent Sea
Author: Christine Feehan.
Blog: Susan Burgett, Book Fiend

I have to start by saying I am a big Christine Feehan fan and have read all her novels and series. After hearing that the latest Drake legacy book had been released, I was very excited to read this book and it jumped to the top of my pile. Maybe because of that I was a little disappointed in this one. Even though it was a good book on its own, it lacked the originality and character of the five previous books on the other Drake sisters. I was surprised there was so little in this book about the other sisters and their magical relationship after so much in the other books. But who can resist a paranormal romance with some action, suspense, magic, and rock n’ roll thrown in.

As a stand alone book, it had a great plot and kept me interested and reading. It was a good romance, with a bit of excitement and action thrown in which is my favorite. You’ve got to love some action and danger to really tie a couple together! The characters were real and had great consistency. I thought it was a very interesting twist that both of the characters have magic and aren’t afraid to use it! The magic is such a part of their personality. It was a great read and very entertaining all the way to the exciting end, with enough to keep me interested and up late at night reading. ;-)

*Spoilers*

Part of my disappointment was that Feehan had built up this relationship with Joley and Ilya in the previous Drake books, so I had very high expectations. There is plenty of magic in this story, but not in the same way as the other Drake books. A huge build up of Ilya and his role and his magic wasn’t really followed through on in the end. It was like this book started in the middle of the story and ended with a few chapters missing. How did Joley discover her magic talents? What kinds of adventures had she had? They talk about the band and their “wild” troubles, but no real examples. What about Ilya and the development of his talents, some stories at least instead of just one picture of a boy under a table.