Review: Her Best Laid Plans by Cara McKenna

Her Best Laid Plans by Cara McKenna 

Published: April 15th 2014

From: Net Galley

Rating: 4 out of 5

~~

Synopsis:

Imagine nursing a pint in a cozy, authentic country pub, far from Cork's busy city pulse. Getting here took you a plane, bus, taxi and…um, bicycle. But just as you're resigning yourself to drinking beside grey-haired farmers, you see him—a man with the looks and charm to soothe any heartbroken girl.

He's your bartender. Your really, really gorgeous bartender.

For American Jamie Webb—recently dumped and housesitting for two weeks—Connor Kelleher is like a six-course feast after a 23-year starvation diet. But it's gotta be casual. She's just begun rerouting her life after a three-year man-related detour. Still, a sexy romp (or twenty!) with Sexy McBartender?

But what happens when Jamie's best-laid plans for no future plans with any man begin to change?

~~

Review:

This is a cute but quick read. Jamie, an American, has 10 days in Ireland and meets the hunky Connor, a barman, on her first night in a sleepy Irish pub nestled in a small village near Cork.

Temperatures rise as Connor and Jamie both have instant chemistry to one another. The next 10 days happen to be the best for both of them.

No strings, no attachments, no...hope of a happily ever after? Both sides have firm plans of studying followed by permanent jobs. But they enjoy their time together as much as they can. 

If you've never been to Ireland before then you'll love this. The story is really well written with enough zest, irish charm and spiciness to keep your toes curled. And the ending? *sigh!

-CBx

Review: Scent of Magic by Maria V Snyder

Scent of Magic (Healer #2) by Maria V Snyder 

Publishers: Harlequin MIRA
Published Date: December 18th 2012
From: NetGalley
My rating: 5 out of 5

Synopsis:

Hunted, Killed—Survived?As the last Healer in the Fifteen Realms, Avry of Kazan is in a unique position: in the minds of her friends and foes alike, she no longer exists. Despite her need to prevent the megalomanical King Tohon from winning control of the Realms, Avry is also determined to find her sister and repair their estrangement. And she must do it alone, as Kerrick, her partner and sole confident, returns to Alga to summon his country into battle.

Though she should be in hiding, Avry will do whatever she can to support Tohon’s opponents. Including infiltrating a holy army, evading magic sniffers, teaching forest skills to soldiers and figuring out how to stop Tohon’s most horrible creations yet; an army of the walking dead—human and animal alike and nearly impossible to defeat.

War is coming and Avry is alone. Unless she figures out how to do the impossible ... again.

Review:

Another of my favourite books from 2011 was A Touch of Power. What affected me most was that Avry was not born to be a fighter or a killer, she's a healer, she has no agenda whether the sick are on one side or the other. She's really tuned into the forest and trees, and the peace and death lilies. The backdrop of flora is great. And her love interest is the awesome Prince Kerrick (of course she doesn't know he's a prince in the beginning). He's also a forest mage which is really cool! Their side-kicks were a fun, friendly bunch and at the end of TOP our fearless warriors are on the verge of battle against Tohon, who epitomises evil! Now that Prince Ryne has awoken from his magical stasis, thanks to Avry, everything-all preparation for the oncoming war should go to plan, right? Hmm. Dead wrong. Dead, because Tohon has found a way to resurrect soldiers, who, for the time being are impossible to kill. So the odds aren't good. Wrong, because all the powerful people choose sides. Some people on the good side such as High Priestess Estrid refuse to kill POW's. Jael is also on the good side, and that can't be all good because she killed Flea in the last book and attempted to kill Avry.

So, in the beginning of Scent of Magic Kerrick and Avry decide to split up and go their separate ways. Neither of them want to, Kerrick especially doesn't want to leave Avry, but Avry wants to reunite with her sister desperately. Her sister who despises her.  They both begin their travels but both end up on very different adventures. My favourite part was Avry getting her new identity and the troops not recognising her, even her own sister and of course, Jael. Avry sets to work training the troops with forest warfare and Kerrick, once he's left his family journeys north to march head on and drive the North Tribes back from invading.

A few new characters join the fray, Avry gets to know the troops and Sergeants a little better though she hates lying to them about who she really is. Things all come to a head when Cellina meets Kerrick and surprisingly lets him go. However her message gets passed down that she actually had her ufas (I'm guessing they're like wolves) kill him. When Avry finds out she's devastated.

Eventually the twists and turns of the story have you wondering who is really trustworthy and who is being really devious.

In the end Kerrick and Avry finally meet up again but its a bittersweet moment as the end of the story leaves you hanging..

I loved this story, I devoured this book and all the while the story continued I prayed that the two main characters would eventually reunite their love. Sadly it was only in the final chapter but what a journey they had both been on.I'm now eagerly anticipating the next book.
-CB

You can reach Maria V Snyder here: 

Web
Blog

 Facebook

Goodreads

Review: Knight's Curse by Karen Duvall

Knight's Curse by Karen Duvall

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



If you like books about knights, crusades and the battle for light over dark evil and a kick ass girl then this book is for you!

Synopsis:
A skilled knife fighter since the age of nine, Chalice knows what it’s like to live life on the edge—precariously balanced between the dark and the light. But the time has come to choose. The evil sorcerer who kidnapped her over a decade ago requires her superhuman senses to steal a precious magical artifact…or she must suffer the consequences.

Desperate to break the curse that enslaves her, Chalice agrees. But it is only with the help of Aydin— her noble warrior-protector—that she will risk venturing beyond the veil to discover the origins of her power. Only for him will she dare to fully embrace her awesome talents. For a deadly duel is at hand, and Chalice alone will have to decide between freedom…and the love of her life.

Review:
In the beginning I didn't feel that Chalice had enough courage, she maybe had a little bit too much attitude for my liking. But the more you delve into the story the more you realise that she's changing. She learns how to hate, and also how to love.

Aydin is a sneaky protector. There were honestly times when I thought he was betraying Chalice but then he does the unspeakable and saves her life while giving up his own. The truly honourable dead cost him dearly - he really is the knight in shining armour.

The writing is captivating, the flow of the story is steady and continual, leading you on to a heartbreaking but exciting outcome. Of course, there has to be a book 2 because the story is still incomplete. But its certainly one that I can't wait for.

Overall I found it compelling, exciting, emotional and you certainly want to root for the good guys. But who will win in the end?? Will Aydin and Chalice ever finally find their love? We shall have to wait and see....

View all my reviews

Review: Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

THANK YOU TO NET GALLEY AND HARLEQUIN FOR ALLOWING ME TO REVIEW THIS BOOK AND GIVE MY HONEST OPINION


I really enjoyed this book. Many reviews have so far questioned the character building or world building but for me the main pulling power was the overall story.

Avry is interesting as a female protagonist. A 20 year old, on the run due to her ability to heal, and running out of options. One night she heals a baby suffering from the plague that has hit the town but the parents turn her in. From then on Avry has the biggest of adventures, but the underlying truth is that she’s going to die, so it’s what she does with the time that she has that matters.

The characters are all enjoyable. You notice a softer side to Kerrick occasionally but want to slap him most of the time. Only because you understand how he feels about Avry before he does. The lads in the gang are all fun. I felt bad when Flea died and suffered as they did.

The introduction of Tohon was interesting. I would have liked a little bit more development on his part because I wanted to believe that underneath all the evil there might be someone worth saving (from himself).

The ending was a little sudden but still enjoyable and I’m glad Avry found two more healers in the end.

Based in a fantasy/medieval world Touch of Magic was a great read. I found the flow easy and non-jerky, and loved the modern language of it all. Sometimes other books in this genre are bogged down with too much description but Snyder has the steady pace and descriptions in equal measure.

Definitely read it. It’s well worth your time. Now I want to read more of her books!

View all my reviews