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Sunday, May 03, 2015

Melanie's Week in Review - May 3, 2015




Whoop! Whoop! insert happy dance here, sound the trumpet, strike up the band! Reading mojo is well and truly back. I am quite proud of my reading accomplishments this week. So what did I read?

I was pretty determined to stay away from Amazon and clear off some books on my TBR so why then did I end up buying 3 books that popped up on my Amazon recommendations? Amazon 1 - Willpower 0. Rose and Thunder by Lilith Saintcrow was the first book I bought and the first I decided to read. I have enjoyed Saintcrow's books in the past and I was glad to discover something new from this author.

Isabella Harpe, a witch with bad taste in boyfriends finds herself out of money and without a car in the spooky town of Tremont. She answers an advert for a housekeeper and finds herself in the home of the Jeremy Tremont. Jeremy is scarred, quiet and very, very mysterious. Isabella knows something isn't quite right either with Tremont or the town itself as she is warned more than once not to be found outside at night. Isabella can't resist a challenge and Jeremy is exactly that....especially when she discovers that Jeremy is sitting on a place of ancient power and victim of a hereditary curse. Can she save Jeremy and avoid getting killed by the things that go bump in the night?

I enjoyed Rose and Thunder. Isabella is interesting and Jeremy is a mystery indeed. Saintcrow's writing is well balanced with enough description that you could picture the scarred Jeremy and his spooky mansion where invisible beings did all the cooking and cleaning. There isn't a lot of action but then there doesn't need to be as this story is more about developing the characters and their growing romance. This is another good HEA from this author.


This was a bit of my unofficial Saintcrow week as book number two  - Pack - is another of her stories...this time a short story. The story is set in a post apocalyptic world where humanity is on the brink of extinction by something that I can only describe as monsters. Lydia is one of the few remaining humans and she is trying to survive with her dog Oscar. Everything changes when she meets a young boy who as no voice and no name. When Saintcrow goes to write a short story she certainly ensures it is short. Pack is a mere 34 pages long and I had barely started when I hit the last page. It's hard for me to say too much about it due to its super shortness!


Book 3 is Betamax Theory by Lee Kenny. The story starts with Martin Brownlow reminiscing about the time his father came home with a betamax player. This was the start of life long obsession with movies and one of the many fond memories Martin has of the father that died in a tragic accident when he was in his early teens. His whole life has been impacted by his father's early death and when he discovers a gateway in the local cemetery to the past he is determined to fix his future by going back and save his Dad.

Betamax Theory is OK. Martin is a chronic underachiever and he puts all the blame on his father's death far too often. The premise of the plot is as sad as Martin's life, especially the ending where nothing Martin did in the past managed to achieve what he wanted it to. This is quite a short read so if you are a time travelling fan then give it a go.


My final read of the week was Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris, which Qwill will be reviewing along with Day Shift. I grew to like it the more I read and I wish Mr. Snuggly (a cat) lived at my house!


The last thing I am going to leave you with is a little sneak peak of one of the next books I am going to read. Check me out with Pirate's Alley which came all the way from the US and was sent by the lovely Qwill. Excited! Until next week Happy Reading.



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