I have to be honest, I got tricked into liking Shannon Mayer’s works. I decided to give her elemental series since it seemed to be up my alley and my enjoyment of it back doored me into the Rylee series. And the overlaps were confusing to say the least since the Rylee books continued with books after the series had officially ended. And with the ever changing loyalties, powers and interests—it did end up being up my Alley.
Destroyer was a huge surprise though as it ended the series with the subtlety of a wile e Coyote anvil dropping on it. It seemed, going in that we were going to see Larkspur become trained (finally with an official teacher!) and perhaps a reunion with Ash as she prepped for the battle with the false goddess. Instead, as so often happens with Larkspur, she got hit upside the head with disaster after disaster and we find out that some of Lark’s allies are created by the false goddess and some of her enemies have been playing an incredibly long game and are actually friends. We even get a shock on the level of Darth Vader revealing himself as Luke’s father…
And Lark lives up to her moniker of the Destroyer.
Overall, it was a strong and compelling story that truly ends the Rylee and Lark series’ for good.
Can’t wait to read the new series Mayer is starting!
If you want to help support this website, donations are accepted at paypal.me/Bestbooklover/
Destroyer (The Elemental Series) (Volume 7)
The Elemental Series
Shannon Mayer
Paranormal
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (May 30, 2017)
330 pages
“What a fantastic start to a new fantasy series! I love a strong female lead and we were delivered that in spades with Larkspur . . . This story is fast paced and exciting right from the start. I can't wait to see what comes next!”
-Boundless Book Reviews
From HiJinks Ink Publishing and Shannon Mayer comes The USA Today Bestselling ELEMENTAL SERIES beginning with RECURVE (Book 1). With over 1.4 million books sold, Shannon Mayer proves, once again, she can dominate her genre right out of the gate.
“My name is Larkspur, and I am an Elemental.”
My people use the power of the earth to sustain life and defy our enemies. I should be at my father's side as a royal princess. But as a half-breed, bastard child, that isn't going to happen.
Taken away by the last Spirit Walker, I am mean to train with him so that I can finally stop the false mother goddess and her plans to rule both humans and elementals. I am meant to train so that I can meet her on even ground, but training takes time.
Time is not something we have. The world is coming apart at the seams as the humans rain down destruction upon their own kind and the supernatural world. The false mother goddess is hunting down the most powerful elementals to take the last of their power, and through it all, the secrets of who I truly am begin to spill upward.
I must find the strength to stop the mother goddess, and to save our world, but which aspect of my heart will hold me up and what will it cost me in the end?
Blood of the earth. . . .
Child of Spirit. . . .
Bastard Princess . . .
Ender . . .
Protector . . .
I have long been a fan of Karen Chance’s body of work. I am a loyal fan and have remained undaunted in the face of all the machinations of the publisher and publishing machine. Karen Chance has long kept the faith with her readers. She often offers free stories that add to her published works to create a more complex, multifaceted and fulfilling world in which all her novels take place. Readers who only read the novels from the publishing house lose a lot of the details and the joy of seeing the characters in multiple lights. All that being said, Karen Chance’s Cassandra Palmer novel Ride the Storm has been one of the most anticipated novels in my memory. This is not the fault of Karen Chance and that cannot be said firmly enough. The publishing house has been moving dates on this novel for over a year with little to no explanation.
The previous book, Reap the Wind was judged too long by the publisher when submitted by the author. This led to a quick rewrite and the split of the book almost in half. This also left an unfulfilled feeling at the end of Reap the Wind. Many plotlines were left hanging, which left some readers unhappy and the continuous manipulation by the publishers with moving dates and little communication lost even more of the fan base. Ride the Storm is the second half of the previous book with a little bit of newer information which furthers the plot of the Cassandra Palmer novels.
I was recently asked by a friend to explain the Cassie Palmer novels and I drew a bit of a blank—how do you explain such a complicated and multifaceted storyline as the one Karen Chance has created? I told her she just needs to read it and we will talk about it once she has. To say that all of the Cassie Palmer novels are fast paced is kind of like saying a quadruple shot espresso is a little bit energizing. These books move along at a frenetic pace and always have plot twists that are unexpected to say the least. It is impossible to have predicted where the main characters end up at the beginning of this book, let alone at the end of the book.
So much happens in this book to move the plot along that after reading it 3 times, I am still finding new details to enjoy. This is not a book to start when you have a deadline coming up or really anything planned. Depending on your reading speed and availability, you should plan to be unavailable until you can finish the book. This is not one you are going to want to put down as there are no really good stopping places. My recommendation is to start it on a Friday so you can have the weekend to take a break from reality and a trip into the Cassandra Palmer universe.
This book brings resolution to a lot of the ongoing plot lines that readers have been gnashing their teeth to know. We find out why MIrcea is so interested in Pythias. We get to see Pritkin rescued. We get to see Cassie find her feet and establish her own space independent of all the forces tearing at her. We learn more about Cassie’s parents. Dorina and Cassie finally meet. We go careening through the story and learn so much along the way that it’s hard to even begin to summarize it so I am not going to even try. Despite this, there is a seeming resolution to the love triangle between Cassie, Mircea and Pritkin but it is open ended enough that I see it more as an affirmation of the fact that Cassie has complicated emotions and feelings for both men.
This book is a solid addition to the Cassandra Palmer world and yet leaves a lot of storylines open for more exploration. It is my sincere hope that Karen Chance continues to publish Cassandra Palmer books for a very long time. In order for that to happen, fans have to not only buy this book, but review it. Talk about it with friends and build it up so that the publishers contract with Karen Chance for more Cassie Palmer books.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received an ARC ebook in return for this review.
Ride the Storm
Cassandra Palmer
Karen Chance
Paranormal
Berkeley
August 1, 2017
606
The New York Times bestselling author of Reap the Wind returns to the “fascinating world”* of Cassie Palmer. Ever since being stuck with the job of pythia, the chief seer of the supernatural world, Cassie Palmer has been playing catch up. Catch up to the lifetime's worth of training she missed being raised by a psychotic vampire instead of at the fabled pythian court. Catch up to the powerful, and sometimes seductive, forces trying to mold her to their will. It's been a trial by fire that has left her more than a little burned. But now she realizes that all that was the just the warm up for the real race. Ancient forces that once terrorized the world are trying to return, and Cassie is the only one who can stop them...
Hello My friends…This is one of my favorite authors and I hope you will help her out by buying this special edition…
I also have a little secret I’ve been keeping…You might just recognize the character Elizabeth, HMMMM wonder if she could be based on a certain Elizabeth who loves these books as much as I do…
From recent newsletter…
”
News from Shiloh
Kit’s Five
Blade Song – Special Edition
Kit was introduced to the world five years ago.
HBA few months ago, a special group of readers helped me introduce Damon’s side of the story. When I started the Patreon platform, the original intent was that the short stories written for my patrons would be specifically for them.
However…
A few months ago, my life was very much different.
Not only has my father moved in with me, but my sister in law and two of her kids have moved in with us.
My household has…well, grown exponentially, while my income has dropped. As many of you know, Samhain Publishing and Ellora’s Cave are no longer in business and I’ve yet to sell another trilogy so funds are…tight.
I talked things over with the readers who have opted to become patrons, because I started bouncing an idea around.
Kit’s five, after all. (And what a mouthy five year old she is…). It should be celebrated.
I had this story that other readers would probably enjoy. But it wouldn’t be out without the support of my patrons.
My patrons told me, emphatically, to do what I needed to do. So…that’s what I’m doing.
Viola. A special edition of Blade Song.
The special edition is available at the current price of $2.99 only through the link below.
Payloadz
The book includes Blade Song, and a snazzy new cover.
Buy now
The book set, as mentioned, will be loaded to other platforms this summer, but the price may be a bit higher as other platforms will, naturally, take their cut.
The stories included:
A Stroke of Dumb Luck
Bladed Magic
Damon
Blade Song
Proceed with Caution
Proceed with Caution isn’t a story, per se. It’s a collection of deleted scenes, character POVs and odd snippets that I’ve had tucked into various places. One of the deleted scenes is two chapters long and has never been seen by anybody.
“but fairy tales only end well. While the story is going on, horrible things happen. Remember Rapunzel? Her prince got his eyes scratched out by the witch, which blinded him. At the end of the story, Rapunzel’s tears magically restored his sight, but that was at the end of the story. Cinderella was little better than a slave. Snow White was actually nearly killed four different times by the evil queen. All anyone remembers is the poisoned apple, but don’t forget the huntsman, or the enchanted girdle and the poisoned comb. Pick any fairy tale that’s based on older stories, and the heroine of the piece has a miserable, dangerous, nightmarish time of it.” Laurell K Hamilton, Swallowing Darkness
Once more for all my friends who are struggling, just remember you are in the middle of your story
So, here is the deal with whats going on with me, this blog and the lack of content you are probably noticing…
My transition online went a little like this. I’ve used FaceBook for years to share pictures with people far and wide as my kids aged. And I used email when I tried (mostly unsuccessfully) to keep in touch with the family of my heart (my friends) and the family of my blood. I started a blog back then because I was writing these long emails to keep everyone up to date on all the cute things my kids were doing. Then the online social world took off, right around the time I became a widow. And an online presence was the absolute last thought on my mind-although it is why I finally joined facebook.
I read books on my kindles, which changed through the years and managed my ebooks on my laptops. I joined goodreads when it came about and followed my authors via their webpages and blogs. And about a year ago, I started writing reviews of my books on goodreads and amazon. There was so much negativity out there aimed at the authors and I wanted the authors to know that there were readers who weren’t negative and appreciated all the effort that went into their books.
I started reaching out to the authors (and their media minions) to offer support. And some of them told me the best thing I could do for them is write reviews and write blog posts. SO I started a tumblr blog-mostly to build up one authors body of work. And when I went to upgrade my netgalley account and sign up for amazon ad links, I was told tumblr wasn’t considered a respectable platform. Youtube and twitter are, but not tumblr. So, I needed a real website or a twitter following.
And I have spent the last month or so transitioning to wordpress and driving myself insane rying to make it look right, to get the tags right, to get the categories right. I’m still not there! But I realized if I didn’t start posting again the appearance wouldn’t matter-no one would see it!
So, I’m spending most of my time on the appearance! And I will try to remember that I have to post too! I want this site to be a place where book lovers can come and hear my thoughts on the latest books and share theirs. I will work to make it that- so please leave comments or crosspost me!
And if you notice radio silence for too long, don’t be hesitant to email me and remind me that I’m doing this to build up my favorite authors-large and small!!!!
The book picks up pretty much where we left off in Bound. There is an odd news story and they send Teague with Mario to check it out. Unfortunately, what they find is a zombiefied Bear which follows them home to the Hill. After a comical battle, in which the fae get their pound of flesh by throwing Bracken at it, they go down and find a young girl who was brutally raped and turned into a vampire and then abandoned. She did what lots of vampires do and returned to her family and brutally killed them. She them started killing wild animals for companions and then trying to convert them so she would have friends. Cory and the Dream Team bring the little vamp back to the hill, but have no choice but to keep her locked in the vamp proof rooms. They trace the pedophile to Redding and go to find out what the heck is going on…and find themselves trapped in a sitcom. Like, really-everything that can go bizarre does! And with this crew thats quite a bit of WTF to try to manage…
Rampant, Volume 1
Little Goddess
Amy Lane
Paranormal Romance
DSP Publications; 2 edition
e book
https://www.amazon.com/Rampant-Vol-Little-Goddess-Book-ebook/dp/B01LW8X5KJ/ref=pd_sim_351_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=7HQC62EF4FZHTK4QDJ0K#customerReviews
2nd Edition
Little Goddess: Book Four
Vol. 1
Lady Cory has carved out a life for herself not just as a wife to three husbands but also as one of the rulers of the supernatural communities of Northern California—and a college student in search of that elusive degree. When a supernatural threat comes crashing into the hard-forged peace of Green's Hill, she and Green determine that they're the ones in charge of stopping the abomination that created it. To protect the people they love, Cory, Bracken, and Nicky travel to Redding to confront a tight-knit family of vampires guarding a terrible secret. It also leads them to a conflict of loyalties, as Nicky's parents threaten to tear Nicky away from the family he's come to love more than his own life.
Cory has to work hard to hold on to her temper and her life as she tries to prove that she and Green are not only leaders who will bind people to their hearts, but also protectors who will keep danger from running rampant.
Uhhhh i’m not sure I can talk about this in a coherent fashion but wth I’ll give it a shot. Everything, EVERY SINGLE THING from the second Cassie and Pritkin end up in that security booth is pure pain. Like when he made the decision to switch back, did he know his body wouldn’t have the energy to heal the wound? Probably. He just looks at the injury for a second and decides in that split second to die for Cassie. I mean, damn, Pritkin’s not perfect by any stretch of the imagination but his commitment to Cassie is INSANE. And then, then, he’s dying and he’s still trying to keep her safe?? He knows that if he admits that he can’t heal she won’t leave him, and he can’t look at her and I think it’s partly guilt, because she’s so upset, he didn’t think she’d be so upset, and partly that it hurts way more than he was expecting? Like not the physical pain, but the separation from her, he’s faced with saying goodbye to her and I don’t think he can do it. And don’t even get me started on Cassie’s reaction, the panic, the pleading, the disbelief: “I stared at him, unable to believe this was happening. That he could just disappear, along with everything rich and strange he’d brought into my life. Vanished, like magic.” Listen, I’m not crying, you’re crying. I’m not saying Cassie was in love with Pritkin at that point, because I don’t think she 100% was. But he’s already more than just a friend to her.
The pain continues. I’m honestly surprised Pritkin doesn’t get slapped more often, he’s dying and he tries to use it as a freaking ‘teachable moment,’ like what is wrong with you??? Okay, I know what’s wrong with him, he’s horrendously bad at comforting people because he’s spent the last hundred years actively repressing his own feelings and has such low self-worth that I don’t think he actually realises how badly his death would affect her. “One person is not so important in the scheme of things.” GOOD FUCKING BYE TO MY HEART. And then he’s so gentle with her? He cups her face and wipes away her tears and runs his fingers through her hair??? I love how he seems to like rediscover this forgotten capacity for tenderness with her, I love how when she kisses him to get him to feed, he just kisses her back, he kisses her goodbye, you can’t tell me that he didn’t feel something like love for the first time in decades at that moment. That he didn’t have a bittersweet revelation that he repressed as hard as he could after but never quite managed it. And Cassie’s “I can’t lose you,” that’s a ‘more than friends’ line if ever there was one. UGH what did I do to deserve being battered with these FEELINGS.
The actual sexy stuff is somehow WORSE bcs you’ve got all this reigned-in need and passion on Pritkin’s side and Cassie’s trying so hard to get him to let loose. Her reaction when he says please?? There’s a little streak of dom in our girl. And don’t even get me started on Pritkin calling her ‘Miss Palmer’ during sex (WHY IS THAT SO HOT?? – that’s pretty much my motto for this whole book) and just, the slow, deliberate way he teases her – ugggggh PLEASE. Anyway, this chapter ruined my life, I’m emigrating to the sun.
OK, So I have been a little silent for a while but figured I’d do my somewhat usual call and response to a post. I’m planning to do another reread soon, and I am sure I will have way more to say, but as we know these post and responses keep me a little on track…
There’s a great deal of angst and so much has changed between Cassie and Pritkin, but I view this a little differently. I think that both Cassie and Pritkin slip under each others defenses. Cassie is growing up and collecting friends, lovers and family left and right. Pritkin is trying to protect an unprotectable Pythia from everyone and anyone. Between body swaps and time jumps, its all too damn much. Pritkin is being Pritkin and for him its better to die in service to Cassie than to take a chance with emotions and feelings. Far easier to die than to live.
As for how he restrains himself and that Cassie isn’t letting him go without a fight, well they are both playing to their strengths. Would Cassie’s life be easier if one war mage was interchangeable with another-sure. But Cassie has never taken the easy road. Of course the craziness has gone to another level, but really even the body swap was going above the previous level of craziness!
All right so there’s my opinion, take it leave it argue about it -thats the point of the reread right!
I am a huge fan of Shiloh Walker. I have been for a very long time, so when I
heard about Pieces of Me I got excited.
I love all of Shiloh’s series and had read a good number of her other
works. The great thing about Shiloh’s
work is that even within the same genre each story is unique. Shiloh is able to really encapsulate the
feelings of her characters and this book did not disappoint. If you like romantic suspense novels, this is
definitely a great read. This book has
graphic sex and violence against women.
While the heroine does a great job being a survivor, it could be
upsetting to those who have experienced abuse.
You have the main
heroine, Shadow Grace-A woman who has been broken so completely she doesn’t
know how to survive. She struggles to
make a life for herself while recovering from a traumatic experience that makes
Russian prison camps look nice. Yet, as
broken as she may be, she clings to her art and has the talent to bring beauty
into an unforgiving world. Shadow isn’t fully
healed but every day she is getting stronger and she dares to reach by starting
to fantasize about a guy she sees on the beach regularly. Shadow barely dares to dream about a man, but
for some reason, this one-well he sticks in her brain. And he doesn’t come out easy, even when
fantasy starts to merge with reality and they meet.
The hero of our story seems perfect in so many ways. Strong, supportive and a little bit dark with
a body that doesn’t quit, Jenks seems like the perfect man. As they start to build something together, he
doesn’t fall apart when Shadow starts the revelation process, in fact he seems
to stick a little harder. But he has a
secret and once it is revealed-well things are not quite as simple as they
first seem.
Of course, the past comes back to haunt Shadow and not only
Jenks but some of the other friends she has made find themselves in
danger. While Shadow know just how sick
and depraved people can be, others doubt that it could have really been that
bad. When the past swallows all of them
whole, only a few will have the chance to survive. And after that—life will never be the same.
Shadow manages to rebuild herself and truly become strong,
facing not only her past but her present and deciding that she deserves more
than what Jenks can give. But when her
past still threatens her, she finds that safety can be found in a strong
partner and Shadow has to decide whether to stand on her own or chance being
hurt again.
Pieces of Me
Shiloh Walker
July 25, 2017
Obsession can be deadly... Nobody knows that better than Shadow Harper. It seemed like a dream come true when a rich, suave older man noticed her during her second year of college. Stefan Stockman seemed to love her obsessively. He came into her life and swept her off her feet, seduced her, married her...and then slowly, eventually, that dream come true became a living nightmare. Now, three years after she finally escaped him, she's trying to put her life back together. Haunted by memories, struggling with post-traumatic stress, she spends most of her time locked away in her home on Pawley's Island, a small town on the South Carolina coast. Her rare moments of joy come from her trips to the nearby beach. She compulsively checks the locks on her doors, makes sure she has her cell phones--five of them--and if she misses something on her schedule, it throws her into a panic. When she accidentally leaves a sketchbook on the beach, an anxiety attack seems imminent. Her art has become her salvation, her sanity, and losing even one sketch is like losing a piece of her soul. When she returns to hunt for the sketchbook, already fearing it's gone for good, she's surprised to find it still sitting there, saved by a sexy fellow beach lover--the mysterious Dillian Jenkins. He's brash, bold, brutally handsome...and gentle. He's the exact opposite of the man who'd tormented her for years, and Shadow finds herself slowly, almost reluctantly, falling for him. Even obsessing over him. When her ex-husband once again intrudes on the happiness she's finally discovering, Shadow turns to Dillian. But will she find shelter there...or another betrayal?
When I first started the book, I was confused. It started out very similarly to some of the
other books and was so close that I actually checked that I had the right e-book. But, it quickly moves on to original content
and boy, is it a revelation-almost as big as when Eira was shown to be a member
of the Circle. For those of you who have
not gotten that far in the series, please stop reading here! Snared is a great addition to the Elemental
Assassin series. It has all the great
writing that I have come to expect from Jennifer Estep and moves the story
along. I love this series, and I love
that Estep’s writing always exceeds my expectations. There is never any editorial missteps or any
plot sinkholes. In fact, I expect so
much from Estep’s writing that I keep expecting to be disappointed-but I never
am. This deserves accolades and awards
as there are few authors who can live up to my insane expectations.
Snared has the usual intricate plot that seamlessly integrates
the stand-alone story with the overall story arc. We discover that Eira’s relationship to the
circle was closer then previously thought.
We have a deepening understanding of Hugh Tucker and we get to see Gin
in her element, helping friends and kicking butt! In the process, Gin cements more alliances
and as her circle of friends, allies and family continues to grow so does she. My personal opinion is that Gin’s world is
growing grayer. Not all villains are 100%
bad and Gin herself recognizes that she is the villain of some criminal’s
tales.
It is a great read and a wonderful addition to the
series. A true five stars for this great
book!
Destroyer (The Elemental Series) (Volume 7)
Ride the Storm
Rampant, Volume 1
