Wow what a beginning!

School started two weeks ago for us. So many things have changed, and it is really taking some getting used to. The kids and I are starting to get the hang of things now, so I can get back to reviewing soon. I have some exciting books coming up! September is packed with some great new books from Heather Frost, Seanan McGuire and J.R. Ward, just to name a few. Enjoy the last rays of summer sun, it will soon be time to curl up with a good book and a blanket!

Review: The Shadowing: Hunted by Adam Slater

Adam Slater has managed to take folk lore into a very scary direction. His demons are not pretty boys in need of rescuing. There is no teen angst, no love story, no "mush" to get in the way of the real story. I loved it! It is very well written, although many of our American readers may be distracted by the use of British slang. For me it added flavor, just that little bit of spice, and I am glad they chose to leave it instead of Americanizing it. This book series, unlike many other YA novels that have come out recently, is perfect for any gender. That in itself makes this worthy of a read.

From Amazon:
Once every century, the barrier between the human world and the demon realm begins to break down. Creatures gather, anxiously waiting to cross the divide, to bring death and destruction from their world to ours. This time is called The Shadowing.

Callum Scott has always known that there is a supernatural world out there—he’s seen ghosts for as long as he can remember. Lately, he’s had visions of children being brutally murdered by a terrifying creature. Then the visions start coming true, and Callum realizes that he’s being hunted, too.

Driven by a dark destiny, he must stand against the demons that threaten our world.

And The Shadowing is almost here. . . .

Five stars!

WTB cooler weather!

In my head I realize it is August. In my head I know this is Georgia and we have at least two more months of summer. I don't care! I want cool breezes and chilly evenings. I want to snuggle under a blanket on my porch. I want red and gold leaves to gently fall outside my window. We go back to school next Monday. It just feels like it is time to get out from under 90f+ days. A lovely rainy day that doesn't get above 70f would make me so happy! A hoodie and slippers kind of day. As you may have noticed, I changed my background to display the kind of day I want to see. After all, it is My Escape!

Review: Retribution by Sherrilyn Kenyon

When a series has as many books as the Dark Hunter has, they can get stale and repetitive. Luckily for us Sherrilyn Kenyon keeps her books fresh. This book incorporates the legends and stories of the American Indians, bringing in new gods and allowing Jess his story. I really enjoyed falling back into this world. The new characters brought a breath of fresh air. Kudos to Kenyon for giving us one more reason to fall in love with myths and legends.

From sherrilynkenyon.com:

Harm no human…
A hired gunslinger, William Jessup Brady lived his life with one foot in the grave. He believed that every life had a price. Until the day when he finally found a reason to live. In one single act of brutal betrayal, he lost everything, including his life. Brought back by a Greek goddess to be one of her Dark-Hunters, he gave his immortal soul for vengeance and swore he’d spend eternity protecting the humans he’d once considered prey.
Orphaned as a toddler, Abigail Yager was taken in by a family of vampires and raised on one belief- Dark-Hunters are the evil who prey on both their people and mankind, and they must all be destroyed. While protecting her adoptive race, she has spent her life eliminating the Dark-Hunters...
Four stars!

Review: Ghost Story by Jim Butcher

There is one line in this, the newest Dresden Files, that made me do a happy dance. "Crombie," I said, "eat your heart out." If you are a fan of Piers Anthony, you will know what I mean. If you have never read his Zanth novels, get your tail over to Amazon and get started! It is always awesome when you read a favorite author pay homage to another favorite in their works. That being said, on to the review. I had never heard of Jim Butcher until early this year. I picked up the first one and was hooked. Ghost Story picks up where Changes leaves off, with Harry dead and about to be run over by a train. (I know, crazy huh?) How can there possibly be anything left to the series? By being sent back as a ghost to find your killer. I was really unsure how I would like this book. The first chapter or two were okay, but I mostly kept reading to see if the story would get any better. I never even realized when I became enthralled. It slipped up on me on little cat paws. I don't want to give anything away, I will just say that I am eager for the next book already!

From jimbutcher.com:

When we last left the mighty wizard detective Harry Dresden, he wasn’t doing well. In fact, he had been murdered by an unknown assassin.
But being dead doesn’t stop him when his friends are in danger. Except now he has no body, and no magic to help him. And there are also several dark spirits roaming the Chicago shadows who owe Harry some payback of their own.
To save his friends — and his own soul — Harry will have to pull off the ultimate trick without any magic…

Four stars!

Review: The Evil Inside a Krewe of Hunters book by Heather Graham

I love Heather Graham. Not only can she crank out the books, but she does it so well! I enjoy everything I have read by her and The Evil Inside is no exception. Well written, fabulous romance with that twist of the paranormal we have come to enjoy so much. The only thing I really missed from this book was a more present ghost. It may be, of course, because the main character does not have the ability as much as others from the older books, but I miss it none the less. With a publication date of September 30th, it comes just in time to snuggle with on a cool fall evening.

From the eheathergraham.com website:

For as long as it has stood overlooking New England’s jagged coastline, Lexington House has been the witness to madness…and murder. But in recent years the inexplicable malice that once tormented so many has lain as silent as its victims. Until now…

A member of the nation’s foremost paranormal forensic team, Jenna Duffy has made a career out of investigating the inexplicable. Yet nothing could prepare her for the string of slayings once again plaguing Lexington House—or for the chief suspect, a boy barely old enough to drive, much less kill.

With the young man’s life on the line, Jenna must team up with attorney Samuel Hill to pinpoint who—or what—is taking the lives of those who get too close to the past. But everything they learn brings them closer to the forces of evil stalking this tortured ground.