Early Review: The Trouble with Twelfth Grave by Darynda Jones

The Trouble with Twelfth Grave

Author: Darynda Jones

Release Date: October 31, 2017

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Charley Davidson Book #12

ISBN:  1250147557

ISBN13: 9781250147554

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Review Copy Source: Publisher

Grim Reaper Charley Davidson is back in the twelfth installment of Darynda Jones’ New York Times bestselling paranormal series.

Ever since Reyes escaped from a hell dimension in which Charley accidently trapped him, the son of Satan has been brimstone-bent on destroying the world his heavenly Brother created. His volatile tendencies have put Charley in a bit of a pickle. But that’s not the only briny vegetable on her plate. While trying to domesticate the feral being that used to be her husband, she also has to deal with her everyday life of annoying all manner of beings—some corporeal, some not so much—as she struggles to right the wrongs of society. Only this time she’s not uncovering a murder. This time she’s covering one up.

Add to that her new occupation of keeping a startup PI venture—the indomitable mystery-solving team of Amber Kowalski and Quentin Rutherford—out of trouble and dealing with the Vatican’s inquiries into her beloved daughter, and Charley is on the brink of throwing in the towel and becoming a professional shopper. Or possibly a live mannequin. But when someone starts attacking humans who are sensitive to the supernatural world, Charley knows it’s time to let loose her razor sharp claws. Then again, her number one suspect is the dark entity she’s loved for centuries. So the question becomes, can she tame the unruly beast before it destroys everything she’s worked so hard to protect?

Now you see him, now you don't. I love that things aren't always as bad as they seem to be at the end of the previous book, but man, waiting to find out is always a killer.

Charley continues to amaze me. I know that this is a story, but when I'm reading, it really does feel like real life and I can't fathom how Charley continues to do all she does. Well maybe I do, a lot of coffee and humor might have something to do with it.

There was quite a bit of things in THE TROUBLE WITH TWELFTH GRAVE that surprised me. We get answers to things we didn't even know we didn't have the answers to. People we didn't expect to see show up in unexpected places. Characters we didn't think could get any more awesome, get even more awesome. You would think after 12 books that not much else could surprise me—good and bad—, but Darynda Jones continues to pull out all the stops when it comes to her characters, their world and the storyline I can't seem to get enough of.  

I have a lot of feelings about a lot of things in the twelfth installment of the Charley Davidson series, but I don't want to give anything away, it would totally kill your reading experience.

The end is upon us. How will things end for the Charley Davidson series? I am both excited and sad to find out. 

I gave it 4/5 stars

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Week in Review: 10/22-10/28

Books Received for Review

Rise of a Phoenix by Shannon Mayer
The Last Wolf by Maria Vale

Books I've Read

Forever Wilde by Jenn Stark
Wilde Child by Jenn Stark
Call of the Wilde by Jenn Stark

Reviews Posted


The Glass Spare by Lauren DeStefano
The White Lily by Juliette Cross
 
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* New Releases for the week. Was there anything you were looking forward to reading?

* Monday- Cover Reveal for StoneKing by Donna Migliaccio

* Thursday- Promo + Giveaway for The White Lily by Juliette Cross

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* Did you know you can follow UFI on these other sites?

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Review: The White Lily by Juliette Cross

The White Lily

Author: Juliette Cross

Release Date: October 23, 2017

Publisher: Entangled Publishing: Amara

Vampire Blood Book #3

ISBN13: 9781640631984

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Review Copy Source: NetGaley

To the north of the Varis empire, a mysterious faction spreads propaganda against the vampire monarchy. Friedrich Volya, the Duke of Winter Hill, seeks to discover who they are before his uncle finds them first. King Dominik will punish the traitors with brutal force.

Local schoolteacher, the raven-haired Brennalyn, is on her own mission—to spy on the duke and discover what she can for the Black Lily. She longs to help the commonwealth and bring justice to the many orphans left behind from the ravages of the blood madness, like the children she lovingly keeps in her care. What she doesn’t plan for is the heart-pounding attraction she feels for the duke, enemy to the Black Lily.

But when Brennalyn’s secret puts her life and the life of her children in danger, Friedrich steps in as her protector, she finds out there’s more to the duke than she thought.

I was a little hesitant to pick up THE WHITE LILY after THE RED LILY. Book two just didn't draw me in like THE BLACK LILY did and I was nervous that book three would be the same way. Thankfully THE WHITE LILY left me wanting more.

I very much enjoyed Brennalyn from the start. I loved her independence, her fortitude, her heart, her spirit and her loyalty. Her children were just as likable and they fit so well into the story. Friedrich wasn't an instant like for me. I didn't dislike him, just didn't instantly stick out as likable. We did meet him in THE RED LILY and for some reason I pictured him as someone completely different than what he ended up being. He grew on me pretty fast and was definitely worthy of Brenna and her children.

The romance was fun. No matter how hard feelings were denied, the attraction and draw to each other continued to show strong between Brenna and Friedrich. Everything happened at a slow burn and that is how I prefer it. Even though the romance was the focal point of the story, the plot still continued the overall Vampire Blood mission. 

The ending of THE WHITE LILY was great. I love that all the characters are together again and I hope we get some good stories out of them in the next book before they separate.

I gave it 4/5 stars

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Promo + Giveaway: The White Lily by Juliette Cross

The White Lily
Vampire Blood #3

To the north of the Varis empire, a mysterious faction spreads propaganda against the vampire monarchy. Friedrich Volya, the Duke of Winter Hill, seeks to discover who they are before his uncle finds them first. King Dominik will punish the traitors with brutal force.

Local schoolteacher, the raven-haired Brennalyn, is on her own mission—to spy on the duke and discover what she can for the Black Lily. She longs to help the commonwealth and bring justice to the many orphans left behind from the ravages of the blood madness, like the children she lovingly keeps in her care. What she doesn’t plan for is the heart-pounding attraction she feels for the duke, enemy to the Black Lily.

But when Brennalyn’s secret puts her life and the life of her children in danger, Friedrich steps in as her protector, she finds out there’s more to the duke than she thought.

Book 2, THE RED LILY, will be on sale for .99 from 10/30 - 11/5

Long Excerpt:

On the next turn, he pulled her close, till her breasts brushed his chest. The friction, as brief as it was, rasped her nipples. She gasped then quickly clamped her mouth shut, trying to put some distance between them. But he was in full control, his large frame engulfing her, his intimidating presence swallowing her with each turn.

“Your dress is quite beautiful on you.” He ignored her question entirely. “So much more appealing than your gray frocks.”

“What is wrong with my frocks?”

“They’re hideous.”

She gasped. “My frocks are entirely suitable to a woman of my role in society.”

“And what role is that? An old crone?” She caught his mischievous smile. He was goading her. And it was working.

“An unmarried woman. The town’s schoolteacher.”

He scoffed, slowing their waltz. “You think yourself a spinster at three and twenty? I think not. I’m going to burn every one of them when I get the chance.”

“Your Grace. You will do no such thing. You have no right to destroy any of my possessions.”

He grinned and slowed their forward movement to a stop, drawing her even closer. She tried to step from his embrace, but he held her good.

“Your Grace?”

“I’m not quite sure you know what’s happening between us, Miss Snow. But let me be clear. Those hideous rags are not worthy of your luscious body. Not worthy of you. You may try to hide your beauty behind drab colors and formless frocks and tight buns. But I see what’s beneath. And I want—no, I will have you in all your glory. Therefore, prepare yourself to be draped in silk quite soon.”

She saw the lion in the man, gazing down at her with steadfast calm and confidence. All of which was breathtaking and alluring. She spent the majority of her life trying to order and control her surroundings, only to find her world tilted at every turn. She wondered how the duke would feel to lose his control.

“It must be very difficult,” she said.

“What must be difficult?” He swept her away from clumsy Mr. Powell, who nearly barreled into them with his dance partner.

“Believing that you own everyone you meet.”

“You wound me. I don’t believe that at all.”

“Really? You just stated as if it were a decree that I’d be draped in silk. What if I don’t like silk?”

His smoldering smile made her knees buckle. “Come now, Miss Snow.” He leaned close to her ear, his lip brushing the shell as he whispered on the turn, “If not a silk dress, how about silk sheets?”

She laughed, his naughty teasing bringing a heated flush to her face. “You’re most improper for a royal duke.”

“Thank you,” he said with a smirk. “I do my best.”

“It wasn’t a compliment.”

“It most certainly was.”

She narrowed her gaze. “Well, whatever you may believe, I’d like to clarify that you do not own me, Your Grace.”

“I don’t want to own you, kitten. I want to possess you.”

“There is no difference.”

“Indeed. There is.”

Eyes darkening and hooded in shadow, she caught them drifting over her face before they landed on her mouth. His own parted slightly.

“Your Grace,” she warned, “if you are making plans to kiss me on the dance floor, let me tell you that it will not be welcome.”

“All right. Will it be welcome in my carriage on the way home?”

She arched her brow. “Are you always so forward with ladies you’re trying to woo?”

“No. Indeed not. I’m usually much more charming, but you seem to bring out the beast in me, Miss Snow. I’d rather skip all the games and get straight to the prize.”

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Juliette is a multi-published author of paranormal and fantasy romance and lives in lush, moss-laden Louisiana where she lives with her husband, four kids, and black lab, Kona. She loves reading and writing brooding characters, mysterious settings, persevering heroines, and dark, sexy heroes.

From the moment she read JANE EYRE as a teenager, she fell in love with the Gothic romance. Even then, she not only longed to read more novels set in Gothic worlds, she wanted to create her own.

Find Juliette and her books

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Review: The Glass Spare by Lauren DeStefano

The Glass Spare

Author: Lauren DeStefano

Release Date: October 24, 2017

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

The Glass Spare Book #1

ISBN:  0062491288

ISBN13: 9780062491282

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Review Copy Source: Edelweiss

A banished princess.
A deadly curse.
A kingdom at war.

Wil Heidle, the only daughter of the king of the world’s wealthiest nation, has grown up in the shadows. Kept hidden from the world in order to serve as a spy for her father—whose obsession with building his empire is causing a war—Wil wants nothing more than to explore the world beyond her kingdom, if only her father would give her the chance.

Until one night Wil is attacked, and she discovers a dangerous secret. Her touch turns people into gemstone. At first Wil is horrified—but as she tests its limits, she’s drawn more and more to the strange and volatile ability. When it leads to tragedy, Wil is forced to face the destructive power within her and finally leave her home to seek the truth and a cure.

But finding the key to her redemption puts her in the path of a cursed prince who has his own ideas for what to do with her power.

With a world on the brink of war and a power of ultimate destruction, can Wil find a way to help the kingdom that’s turned its back on her, or will she betray her past and her family forever?

THE GLASS SPARE is another one of those books that I'm not totally convinced on my feelings about it. On one level, I read it and didn't have issues with it while reading, but looking back there are a few things I can think of that were lacking. I will know my rating—and so will you—by the time I'm done writing my review.

I will start my review by telling you what I enjoyed. I really enjoyed Wil's relationship with her brothers. They have a tight bond and are willing to do anything for each other. I would have loved to read more about them before things turned. For the most part, I enjoyed the characters. They worked well together and some interesting people were thrown into the mix. The technology that is involved in THE GLASS SPARE was fun and interesting to read about. Had a bit of a steampunk type feel to it.

After coming back to write my review, these are the issues that popped up as I was thinking about what I thought about THE GLASS SPARE. The world building wasn't very strong. I didn't get lost in the world or feel the world around me while I was reading. I could picture things, but I didn't get drawn in. The romance just was. Nothing swoon worthy and feelings developed pretty instantly. There was no build up and I just didn't feel the "feels" they were trying to throw out. The pace tended to be a bit slow at times.

I would probably read more if the sequel was to fall into my hands, but THE GLASS SPARE didn't leave me yearning for book two.

I gave it 3/5 stars

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

New Releases: 10/22-10/28

Tue. Oct. 24th

 The Afterlife of Holly Chase by Cynthia Hand

 The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
 Blade of Empire (The Dragon Prophecy #2) by Mercedes Lackey, James Mallory
 The Glass Spare (The Glass Spare #1) by Lauren DeStefano 
 Magic of Wind and Mist (The Hanna Duology) by Cassandra Rose Clarke
 Switchback (Nightshades #2) by Melissa F. Olson
 The White Lily (Vampire Blood #3) by Juliette Cross

Happy Reading!

Cover Reveal: StoneKing by Donna Migliaccio

StoneKing
Gemeta Stone #3

They call him StoneKing: the lord of four countries, the vanquisher of the Wichelord Daazna, the man who will restore his people to prosperity and peace.

But there is no peace for Kristan Gemeta. Already weighed down by the cares of his new realm, Kristan carries a secret burden – the knowledge that Daazna is not dead. He isolates himself in his ruined castle in Fandrall, where he struggles to control the destructive Tabi’a power that may be his only hope of defeating the Wichelord once and for all.

And there’s trouble elsewhere in his realm. His Reaches are squabbling in Dyer, Melissa and Nigel are experiencing heartache in Norwinn, and Heather’s command in Hogia is in jeopardy. Unaware of this turmoil, Kristan receives an unexpected gift – one that forces him, his knights, an inexperienced squire and a crafty young shape-shifter into a hazardous winter journey.

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Donna Migliaccio is a professional stage actress with credits that include Broadway, National Tours and prominent regional theatres.  She is based in the Washington, DC Metro area, where she co-founded Tony award-winning Signature Theatre and is in demand as an entertainer, teacher and public speaker.  Her award-winning short story, "Yaa and The Coffins," was featured in Thinkerbeat's 2015 anthology The Art of Losing.

Find Donna and her books

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

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