Guns Of The Dawn

Guns of the Dawn
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!

Denland and Lascanne have been living in relative peace for centuries, allies against any other foe. But then one day the news reaches Lascanne...the Denlanders have assassinated their King and the entire Royal family, and now their newly formed parliament has now turned it's eyes to Lascanne, still ruled by a King and a seeming threat to their new found monarch free way of living.

Now the two are at war, on two fronts, and Lascanne's redcoats, as well as the Wizards are fighting against the Denlanders. Emily Marshwic has watched the war take her brother in law, and then, when the need for more soldiers became greater, she watched the war take her younger brother, newly turned 15.

Then the next proclamation comes. More soldiers needed, from a land with no more husbands and brothers and males left to give. So it's the woman who have to go. One from each family. Many other households are sending servants, but not the Marshwic's, Emily is determined to go herself, and when she's offered a way out of the front, a way that could have saved her brother...she's even more determined to go and do her duty.

Emily braves through the training, making rank early on, and when she reaches the front, she gets a firsthand view of warfare. She has barely enough training to hold a musket, and she's faced with endless slaughter, and it's in the face of this slaughter that Emily finds herself becoming braver than she knew, and elevating up the ranks, taking command when no-one else will and doing a damn fine job. The only thing keeping her sane however, is the cynical Survivors Club, created by her brother in law, and other members of the army on the Levant front.

It's when she's captured by the enemy, she escapes with the help of a tracker and some locals who live in the swamp, that she starts to doubt, starts to wonder if what they know of the war and how it started is actually true.

I PLOUGHED through this, it was SO good, and there where so many echoes of both World Wars for me, after reading about both certain little facts started to stick in my brain, and when I was reading some things rang true, censoring letters, not knowing what was really going on at the front, all sorts.

I'm in such a fantasy mood lately, and so I devoured this! Being a standalone, the world building was very well done, I was just sad I didn't get to see more of it, I wanted to know what happened after the end! It was such an interesting take, war and defeat from the point of view of the losers, the winners changing their tune and rounding up wizards for the execution, it was a fascinating chain of events to read about.

The book drew me in from the first page, constant action, the story moving forward fast and slick. You where glued to the page, reading about all the tactics, vividly living the battles through the characters. I loved Emily, she was easy to connect to, and she was such a badass. I can't even. She suddenly was rising in the ranks because she was taking command and leading her troops whenever there was no other to command. She literally just took charge, and then got promoted and then again, and she was so awesome.

I have to say I loved each member of their club as well, especially Mallen, he was totally cool and had such an interesting background to him! Not to mention the Wizards, I wanted to know more about them too! But yeah, the club where a colourful bunch of characters and the camaraderie oozed off the page and started to infect you as well!

I was never sure what was going to happen next, it was a ride that's for sure, the ending didn't half surprise me either and I was so gutted it ended there because it's a one off book, and like I said, I wanted to see what was going to happen next, what the repercussions would be! Although to be honest, I kinda shipped Emily with Scavian and was a bit sad about who she chose! My ships aren't doing very well lately on all fronts!

An addicting read, Guns of the Dawn has a strong leading lady you root for, plenty of action, fascinating views and tactics and military battles that you have you on the edge of your seat, and will take you on a ride with all the twists and turns! Muskets, magic and mayhem at its finest!

Disclaimer

Disclaimer
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!

Finding a mysterious novel at her bedside plunges documentary filmmaker Catherine Ravenscroft into a living nightmare. Though ostensibly fiction, The Perfect Stranger recreates in vivid, unmistakable detail the terrible day Catherine became hostage to a dark secret, a secret that only one other person knew--and that person is dead.

Now that the past is catching up with her, Catherine’s world is falling apart. Her only hope is to confront what really happened on that awful day even if the shocking truth might destroy her. 

So, I've gone with the standard synopsis with this one, because if I try to do my own I will give too much away and ruin the book before you guys have even started! We all know I fail at doing my own synopsis half the time! 

I can't even with this book, I wasn't sure what to expect, but the book slowly sucks you in until you realise it's been hours and you're glued to the book and your stomachs growling because you lost track of time lost in the pages of the book. It's incredibly compelling and dark and emotional. 

We get alternate POV's and you're not entirely sure what happened, what the big secret it is, but as you read it becomes apparent there's two versions of the story here, throughout the course of the book your perspective and view of the characters changes, and your feelings towards the characters changes. I went from feeling sorry for Catherine, to hating her, then to kind of understanding but still disliking her to fully feeling so much sympathy for her and rage at Stephen. Although I will admit, I never actually liked Stephen, I thought he was dodgy from the beginning and then I understood his grief but he was kind of going the wrong way about it. So yeah. It's emotional as hell! 

The two POV's where done very well, with Stephen becoming more and more sinister as the book goes on, and Catherine losing control very swiftly over her life, while I felt for Catherine she was kind of kept at a distance from the reader, most likely done to keep you guessing about what really happened, did she really have an affair? And so on. 

This might be a bit weird, but the book had a kind of nostalgic feel to it, in the sense that memories of going on holiday, and whining for any inflatable water device....seats...lilo's....dinghies, and inevitably being denied and sitting there longingly staring at all the kids with them, all came flooding back. I never was allowed a dinghy, now that I think about it, and at the end of every holiday they would always be left behind for others to use. 

The book is plainly written, and it makes it so easy to read, and allow the book to suck you in and take you along for the ride. The suspense practically oozes off the page, and you're unsure who to believe, who's story is correct, while trying to work out your own theories and then never coming close. 

There is an uncomfortable scene, that should probably have a warning about for people who would be triggered by it, but I thought it could have gone very wrong, but was written quite well, with respect and care. The book will definitely stay with you after you've finished reading. I mean I couldn't believe the husband and his behaviour. Like seriously? The book is kind of haunting really. 

Disclaimer is a compelling read, atmospheric and will suck you in to the story bit by bit until you've finished the book, and will haunt you for a while after! 

Angelfall

Angelfall
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of Bookbridgr

It's been six weeks since the angels of the apocalypse destroyed the world as we know it. Only pockets of humanity remain. Savage street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When Penryn and her family stumble into an angel smack down, the angels are so busy trying to cut off one's wings, that they nearly get away.....nearly. When the angels fly off with her sister, Penryn will do anything to get her back...but when she does...she might not be the same.

Penryn will have to work with the angel she saved to get to the angel's base and rescue her sister, while Raffe just needs to get his wings sewn back on...but things are always more complicated than they should be....especially when feelings are involved.

HOLY SHIT! I can't believe it took me THIS long to read this book! Don't get me wrong, I've been intrigued for a while, but I don't have a lot of time to read books that aren't review books right now, and so I've been eyeing this up, then it popped up on Bookbridgr, presumably because the final one is out next month! But anyways, I had to grab it and I've been itching to finally get round to it and oh my god it has everything I want in a book!

First of all the originality is all over the book, I mean it's so unique I got far too excited, we all know I love to read unique books, that are a little bit different from the norm, and this is no exception. I mean we have an agnostic angel and I seriously was just like....that is freaking brilliant! If I didn't already love Raffe that would have done it!

The main thing was the premise, so unique, apocalypse by angels! I was sucked in from the beginning and totally glued to the page. I seriously couldn't put it down, I was fascinated and enchanted by the book and it's world. The world was so vivid, you could picture every setting, every single thing described, characters, buildings, the atmosphere oozed off the page and engulfed you as you where reading, it was incredible. I was delightfully disgusted at more than one point, it had a nice dark edge to it in places.

The premise was just as strong as it's plot, I didn't even bother trying to guess what was going to happen next, I just rolled with it and went along for the ride. And what a ride it was, there was always something going on, something to keep you reading, action and what not. The plot was complex, there was the whole deal with Penryn looking after her sister and Raffe helping her, but there was a complexity in the angels. They have some serious political mess going on, they don't know why they're there, or what they're doing and their messenger was killed and now they need a knew one, so they're kind of all fighting over it, and one angel wants to be the new messenger, but Raffe's soldiers want him to be it and so on, but Raffe has gone missing as far as they're aware, none of them seem to know he was ambushed by the angels working for the dude who wants to be in charge and had his wings cut off and that he hasn't abandoned them. So yeah, it's complex!

The other thing about the angels that added a sense of originality was that the angels all looked different, in that they all had different wings, most books have them all looking the same but this one added this cool element! I'm trying to work out what each wing means!

Penryn was an awesome main character, she's everything I love, she's badass, her dedication to finding her sister was inspiring, and just amazing. She was written so strongly that you connected with her immediately and you have nothing but respect for her character, looking after her sister, going after her to rescue her, and having to deal with her mother at the same time. I'm slightly convinced there's more to her mother's illness than meets the eye, but maybe I'm just overly suspicious!

Raffe. I liked Raffe. I didn't suspect what his real name was and as a fan of Supernatural I'm slightly aware of angels and who is what. Should have seen it coming. I loved his interactions with Pen, their banter and bickering where hilarious, and they work together, they have a certain chemistry that jumps off the page. I was so gutted when someone stole his wings and he got stuck with the demon wings, but he's so adorable, trying to be all " I don't even like you" yeah...sure mate, whatever you say, and then checking they had her in the van and everything. So adorable. He better get his damn wings back and takeover and kick the asshole angels asses. I swear.

I enjoyed how the romance was almost secondary to the plot, it was subtle, growing naturally and then kind of coming to centre stage towards the end, and I can't wait to see how their relationship develops in the final two books! It's going to be very well done either way and probably with lots of feels and aaawwss!

So yeah, before I gush on about it for pages and pages and pages, I'd better end the review here! The ending just left me wanting more and I really didn't want to leave the characters or the world! I can't wait to get my hands on the second book and I may have to take a break in my reviewing schedule to fit it in, because I'll be damned if I'm waiting months!

Angelfall is darkly atmospheric, enchanting, enthralling, original, expertly crafter, incredibly written, atmospheric, macabre....I could go on all day! Not to mention the rich background and history and mythology to the book and the angels and the world. I love me some rich mythology and background! Especially when it's slotted in perfectly with an engaging narrative.

Wishing For Wednesday #34

Merry Wednesday guys!
This week I've got the next in a series I stumbled upon thanks to Bookbridgr, actually! I got one from there, thinking it was a standalone, then ended up buying the other two, because who can resist!? And it was an awesome series!
Anyways, this week's book is the next book in the series and I've been waiting for what feels like years!

Pirate's Alley

Wizard sentinel DJ Jaco thought she had gotten used to the chaos of her life in post-Katrina New Orleans, but a new threat is looming, one that will test every relationship she holds dear.

Caught in the middle of a rising struggle between the major powers in the supernatural world—the Wizards, Elves, Vampires and the Fae—DJ finds her loyalties torn and her mettle tested in matters both professional and personal.

Her relationship with enforcer Alex Warin is shaky, her non-husband, Quince Randolph, is growing more powerful, and her best friend, Eugenie, has a bombshell that could blow everything to Elfheim and back. And that's before the French pirate, Jean Lafitte, newly revived from his latest "death," returns to New Orleans with vengeance on his mind. DJ's assignment? Keep the sexy leader of the historical undead out of trouble. Good luck with that.

Duty clashes with love, loyalty with deception, and friendship with responsibility as DJ navigates passion and politics in the murky waters of a New Orleans caught in the grips of a brutal winter that might have nothing to do with Mother Nature.

War could be brewing, and DJ will be forced to take a stand. But choosing sides won't be that easy. 

Pirate's Alley is out April 21st, pre-order your copy....here! 
Add it to your TBR....here!

Gemini Force 1: Black Horizon

Gemini Force 1: Black Horizon
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!

When Ben's father tragically dies in a climbing accident, it's up to Ben and his mother Caroline to open his final project, a fancy hotel. But it's at this opening that their fate changes forever. When there's an air accident, Ben and his mother have to rescue the two pilots who bailed out, a daring feat, one that catches the attention of entrepreneur Jason Truby.

Ben gives his mother an idea, start a rescue team, but it's Truby who takes it to another level. He recruits Ben's mother to join his top secret, uber cool international rescue force....Gemini Force. Ben's itching to get on the team but his mother is determined he's going to finish school. That doesn't mean Ben can't visit on holidays....and he does.

It's Ben's first holiday trip out to hang with Gemini Force when everything goes wrong. A mission comes in, and Ben's mother is determined to go along....but in the middle of the rescue she becomes trapped, and suddenly Ben is parentless. Ben is determined to continue her work with the Force, but he's going to have to fight for his place....even if it means disobeying what he's been told and putting himself in danger....

Oh my God this was so good I can't even! I knew I had to review this because my Dad loves Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet and I used to watch all of them when they where on TV, I've seen the film as well, which was okay, but yeah I'm so glad I got a proof of this because it was everything I  was hoping for and more!

I was sucked in from the first page, and it was all go from then, daring rescue missions...danger....fantastic characters you instantly feel connected to and get emotionally attached to, and what a cast of characters they are! Addie is my favourite, I'm not going to lie, I loved her, she's awesome! I'm not sure what the situation is with the books, but assuming the other books are happening, then I hope to see and learn more about the other team members and get to know them better, it's going to be interesting to see what's going to happen to Ben now he's on the team!

The setting was vivid, I could picture everything, and trust me, it gave my imagination a workout! Picturing all these cool devices and planes and everything. So vivid, so cinematic....just saying! The world is so well constructed it sucks you in and keeps you glued to the page, wanting to know more about the Force and what's going to happen next!

I was so gutted when Ben's mum died, I kept thinking it was going to be like, I don't know...that she was actually fine and they'd got there in time but no, it was so sad, and the book really brings out your emotions when you're reading. I was on the edge of my seat, riddled with tension when I was reading some of the missions!

I was never sure what was going to happen next, and it was a wild ride of a read, fast paced, slick, smooth, I can't gush about it enough to be honest! I wish it was longer! I wanted to keep reading and I didn't want it to end!

I have a feeling this isn't the last we've seen of the bad guy in this book, I got vibes about it, and I'm convinced he'll make an appearance again! It was cool how the two connected as well, to create a mini plot within the main plot!

I really can't get over this book, I had some expectations for this, and every single one was met and exceeded and I think this is a fantastic set up for what's going to be a fun and action filled series!

Terminal

Terminal
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!

The Virals are back and a month after the events of Exposure they're working with Chance, ya know..the same Chance that accidentally infected himself, using his lab connections specifically, to try to work out what exactly has happened to their DNA and what the future holds for their powers, the answer? It will continue developing and ya know it could kill them. 

But it soon becomes apparent that there's another pack of Virals, rogue ones called the Trinity, created by the same strain that infected Chance, one of them is obvious...Chance's partner, but they need to work out who the other two are. Especially as these new Virals aren't exactly friendly...

....it started with warnings. Really specific warnings, and soon it becomes clear that this new group want to be the dominant pack and want Tory's pack gone. They'll stop at nothing to get rid of them. Destroying everything and setting them up to be caught by a shady government agency who has just started coming after them. 

Did I not already mention the shady government people? You know...stealth helicopters? Enquiring about them from acquaintances? Pretty much trying to capture them all to poke and prod at them? No? Yeah well that's happening and the other Virals are determined to turn Tory and the pack over. 

But Chance has been hiding something, a cure for being a viral, and with the net closing in on them from all sides, a shocking revelation later, and a trap gone wrong....Tory and co are going to have to make a very difficult decision.....

Holy shit! This installment though! It was so tense, the entire way through, there was one point where I was holding my breath as I was reading and there was never a moment when I wasn't totally glued to the page, totally engrossed in what was going on, I couldn't put this down for anything, not even eating.

The book starts so incredibly, creepily perfect. We get a mysterious surveillance report, detailing a conversation between Tory and Chance, then the creepy prologue and it's the perfect start to the book to be honest, it sets up the tone for the book, a problem and intense danger both at the same time. This time the stakes are even higher, this isn't them facing a killer or following clues, this is them fighting to not be kidnapped and never seen again, secreted away in a lab and dissected.

This book had an entirely different tone, it was tense from the go, and majorly creepy with the suited guys following them about, the stakes where higher than ever before. It's like a mysterious book, with hints of war in it, because seriously, there where some serious tactics going on in this, and then it was like any alien film or book you've ever read where something alien or different or supernatural is hunted and then locked in a lab to be taken apart. There's no clues, no treasure to follow and find, this is pure survival and it was...well...intense. It's the only word.

I've gotta say, I liked the creepy surveillance reports, it kept the book fresh and it was interesting to see what was going on that they didn't know about, what others knew about them, I mean they talked to Hannah and the Gamemaster and other various people, and it was interesting to see how some of them where doing, what became of them and what they saw that they shouldn't have. The first one reminded you of the events at the end of Exposure, and set the tone like I said, the rest added intrigue and a hell of a lot of it.

One thing I have to note...Madison being nice. I love it. She's on the football team with Tory and wants to be friends, and I enjoy the fact Tory could be about to have another female friend, even though at the end of the book she was kinda keeping her distance because of something Ella did, but still. She didn't even tell the MIB's what she saw, and we all know she saw Tory's eyes. Although her and Jason...didn't see that coming, I still find it a bit weird, and I'm unsure if we'll see less of Jason at this point?

The entire group's dynamics have changed at this point, Chance is working with them, trying to solve how what happened...happened, and what's likely to happen next. None of it good, they might not be done evolving and then they might die. But anyway, Ben and Chance don't really get along, and the gang have trust issues with Chance. As much as I like Chance, I had trust issues with him, I mean when the agents nab them? I sat there for 5 minutes thinking I'd pegged him wrong the entire time, then carried on reading and was like "as if the author just played my emotions that easily!". 

Whitney continues to tick me off, but she slightly redeemed herself in this book. I mean, what annoys me most about her is her making Tory do this cotillion gig, then not even letting her do the project she wants to do, like I said before, I can't stand being forced to do things I'm not down for, and it grates me seeing it happen in the book, especially as Kit goes along with Whitney, oblivious to his own kids discomfort. Like seriously dude? I was so gutted when they announced they where getting married, but then when Kit dropped the moving bomb, Whitney surprised me, it was so...un-Whitney.

This book was a bit of a shocker character wise. Chance said he's in love with Tory, and seeing as I ship them, I was all "awwww" and super excited, Madison, Whitney being surprisingly not stupid for once, but most importantly Ella.

This book had SO MANY twists I did not see coming. SO MANY. Cole. Jason and Madison. Chance.  Ella. Most importantly Ella. I seriously did not see it coming, but I got the most sinking feeling ever at the description of the third member of the Trinity, I just didn't want to believe it. Like wow. She REALLY hated Tory and I was SO gutted, so so gutted. I love their friendship and I love Ella, she's one of my favourite characters! But it was all good in the end, and look at Tory being all forgiving and yeah. I'd be hella mad if things hadn't been resolved but it's all good.

I am, however, still incredibly gutted about the bunker. Like where are they going to meet now?! How could you destroy it?! Nooooooo! It's one of my favourite locations in the book, and always makes me jealous that I don't have one!

There was romance in this book guys, in between the action and danger and shocking twists, subtle romance, but it was there. So like, I ship Chance and Tory, and he said he loved her and she was having some feelings and there was a kiss that was described as waaaaay better than her kiss with Ben, but whatever. My ship sunk. She chose Ben, so don't worry there's no love triangle. I was gutted, especially when Chance was all moving on like 5 seconds later with Ella. But whatever. Ben and Tory are quite cute I suppose. We just need to find Shelton and Hi someone now muahahhaaaa

Terminal is everything I have come to expect from this series, slick, engrossing, action packed, funny, intriguing, fascinating, I learned some cool science things, the book took a different spin than the others keeping it fresh, and it was genuinely enjoyable. The books just keep getting better and better to be honest, there's always a new twist, a new element, a new take, and the virus is ever evolving. The books, Terminal being no exception, are always unpredictable and full of shocking twists you don't see coming, and they always have killer endings.

I've had a prowl on GoodReads, and there's no other book listed. Now things have been wrapped up quite nicely....mostly....if you don't count the fact Tory's eyes where glowing blue at the very end. I'm assuming there's another book, if there is, I'm even more excited, because clearly they aren't as Viral free as they thought, and it's changed or something and who knows what the hell happens next! On the other hand, if this was the last book, then that's cool, it's been wrapped up quite nicely, the blue eyes thing leaves you hanging a bit, but it's also pretty obvious what has happened, and it's equally as fun to imagine for yourself what might happen next, or become of them. It's a strong series, and if this is the end, then it had a strong end, if it's not, then I look forward to another awesome instalment, but I can understand if the series has come to a natural end with no other way forward.

This week has been a bit of a journey and I can't thank the publisher enough for sending me not just Terminal, but the first four books so I could read them all. I've read all the books back to back and been on quite the journey with Tory and her friends, and I was hooked from the first page of the first book, never wanting the adventures to end, and I'm quite sad now I've finished the final book in my possession. It's fast become a favourite series of mine, each book incorporates some element I find intriguing and it's such a fresh series, serious, full of danger, but with some laughs courtesy of Hi and Shelton!

So yeah....Virals week is officially over. Whether this is the end for Tory or not, I'm gonna be re-reading this series for a loooonngg time!