After taking out Tandor Holly and her crew should be out of danger but it looks like his second in command has quickly stepped up to take control and After taking out Tandor Holly and her crew should be out of danger but it looks like his second in command has quickly stepped up to take control and he's far more cunning and ruthless than Tandor ever was. Now the stakes are higher than ever, especially since they have a chance to find out the secrets the gang were keeping on the quantum drive, all they need to do is track down a working pico computer to read it.
This series is quickly becoming a favourite, fast paced and full of action this is futuristic sci-fi with an edge and I couldn't get through this book quickly enough. Holly is taking her sustainer relationship with Daze seriously and she's determined to teach him enough survival skills that he'd be able to survive on his own if anything happened to her. Since she's quite tough and in control in most situations it's nice to see a softer side to her where Daze is concerned and the kid makes a great side kick. Case is still on the scene too but Holly isn't sure whether he can be trusted, he's lied to her so many times and it's obvious that he's still keeping secrets but he also saved all of their lives in the end so surely that has earned him a little leeway.
There's a lot going on in this story but I don't want to go into too much detail because I don't want to spoil anything, we get to see a bit more of Holly's crew and Claire has some interesting revelations about what is going on in the current government that are going to have a big impact on future stories. Holly is forced into some very difficult positions and she isn't going to get through this fight without suffering a few losses but she will never, ever quit no matter how dire the situation looks. I'm definitely looking forward to the next part of her journey when Danger's Race releases in December.
Merged review:
After taking out Tandor Holly and her crew should be out of danger but it looks like his second in command has quickly stepped up to take control and he's far more cunning and ruthless than Tandor ever was. Now the stakes are higher than ever, especially since they have a chance to find out the secrets the gang were keeping on the quantum drive, all they need to do is track down a working pico computer to read it.
This series is quickly becoming a favourite, fast paced and full of action this is futuristic sci-fi with an edge and I couldn't get through this book quickly enough. Holly is taking her sustainer relationship with Daze seriously and she's determined to teach him enough survival skills that he'd be able to survive on his own if anything happened to her. Since she's quite tough and in control in most situations it's nice to see a softer side to her where Daze is concerned and the kid makes a great side kick. Case is still on the scene too but Holly isn't sure whether he can be trusted, he's lied to her so many times and it's obvious that he's still keeping secrets but he also saved all of their lives in the end so surely that has earned him a little leeway.
There's a lot going on in this story but I don't want to go into too much detail because I don't want to spoil anything, we get to see a bit more of Holly's crew and Claire has some interesting revelations about what is going on in the current government that are going to have a big impact on future stories. Holly is forced into some very difficult positions and she isn't going to get through this fight without suffering a few losses but she will never, ever quit no matter how dire the situation looks. I'm definitely looking forward to the next part of her journey when Danger's Race releases in December....more
Valen is the second book in Felicity Heaton's Guardians of Hades series and I have to admit I wasn't sure what I'd make of Valen because he wasn't exaValen is the second book in Felicity Heaton's Guardians of Hades series and I have to admit I wasn't sure what I'd make of Valen because he wasn't exactly the nicest of the brothers in the previous book. I know Felicity is brilliant at changing my minds about her characters though and she proved that again here, I think I actually ended up loving Valen even more than Ares!
Valen's ability revolves around controlling lightening which makes him a powerful enemy to have and someone you definitely want at your back in a battle. He also has a curse that we weren't aware of before though, one laid on him by Zeus before the brothers were exiled to earth to protect the gates to the Underworld. I don't want to talk much about what he did to earn the curse or what the curse actually entails but once you know the details and start to see the way it effects him it makes it much easier to understand why he's so standoffish compared to the others. I didn't really notice in the first book that the brothers all treat him differently to the way they treat each other but it kind of broke my heart seeing how on the outside he always was around them.
Eva is an assassin who was initially hired to track Valen's movements and report back to her employer but the requests he makes of her have started to become more and more strange and she's now really worried for her own safety if she doesn't follow through on what she's promised. She had no clue about the supernatural creatures around her and now she's caught up in the middle of a battle that has been going on for centuries. As a normal human she doesn't stand a chance against gods and daemons but she has a few skills up her sleeve and most importantly she has the will to survive so she'll do whatever it takes to make sure she comes out on top, even if it means allying herself with the man she was initially sent to kill.
I thought Valen and Eva were great together and what I loved most was the way Eva was willing to stand up to Valen's brothers on his behalf. She saw things about Valen that none of the others have ever noticed and she really gave them a few much needed home truths about the way they treated him. They had brilliant chemistry but they also made great partners in battle and even though Eva isn't as physically powerful as Valen she fights by his side and always has his back. We get to see plenty of the other brothers too and as much as I loved Valen I'm practically dying of curiosity about Esher now. I'm so excited that his book is next and I can't wait to read it!
Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review
Merged review:
Valen is the second book in Felicity Heaton's Guardians of Hades series and I have to admit I wasn't sure what I'd make of Valen because he wasn't exactly the nicest of the brothers in the previous book. I know Felicity is brilliant at changing my minds about her characters though and she proved that again here, I think I actually ended up loving Valen even more than Ares!
Valen's ability revolves around controlling lightening which makes him a powerful enemy to have and someone you definitely want at your back in a battle. He also has a curse that we weren't aware of before though, one laid on him by Zeus before the brothers were exiled to earth to protect the gates to the Underworld. I don't want to talk much about what he did to earn the curse or what the curse actually entails but once you know the details and start to see the way it effects him it makes it much easier to understand why he's so standoffish compared to the others. I didn't really notice in the first book that the brothers all treat him differently to the way they treat each other but it kind of broke my heart seeing how on the outside he always was around them.
Eva is an assassin who was initially hired to track Valen's movements and report back to her employer but the requests he makes of her have started to become more and more strange and she's now really worried for her own safety if she doesn't follow through on what she's promised. She had no clue about the supernatural creatures around her and now she's caught up in the middle of a battle that has been going on for centuries. As a normal human she doesn't stand a chance against gods and daemons but she has a few skills up her sleeve and most importantly she has the will to survive so she'll do whatever it takes to make sure she comes out on top, even if it means allying herself with the man she was initially sent to kill.
I thought Valen and Eva were great together and what I loved most was the way Eva was willing to stand up to Valen's brothers on his behalf. She saw things about Valen that none of the others have ever noticed and she really gave them a few much needed home truths about the way they treated him. They had brilliant chemistry but they also made great partners in battle and even though Eva isn't as physically powerful as Valen she fights by his side and always has his back. We get to see plenty of the other brothers too and as much as I loved Valen I'm practically dying of curiosity about Esher now. I'm so excited that his book is next and I can't wait to read it!
Source: Received from the author in exchange for an honest review...more
Seven and Lucky were thrown together when their best friends started dating but their relationship has been anything but love at first sight,3.5 stars
Seven and Lucky were thrown together when their best friends started dating but their relationship has been anything but love at first sight, it started out antagonistic and then they started to enjoy winding each other up as much as possible. Until one drunken night all that had ever been between them was constant verbal sparring and banter but then a scorching hot kiss changed everything. They're suddenly both looking at each other in a new light but before they can explore that any further Lucky is called away on a family emergency and disappears without a word. When he returns weeks later Lucky is eager to jump back in where they left off but Seven has already been hurt once and she's not so willing to give him a second chance.
These two have one of my favourite kind of relationships, one where the sparks are obviously flying but they're both to stubborn to admit it and rather than act on their attraction they verbally spar to keep each other at a distance. I could see the potential between them in the first book so I was thrilled when I found out they'd be the second couple featured in this series and I have to admit I found Seven much easier to get to know and care about than Indie was. Seven has been through her own tough times but she's a strong character who is determined to stand on her own two feet and who has never let herself rely on anyone else. She's independent and knows what she wants so suddenly realising her feelings for Lucky have changed throws her for a loop.
Lucky walked away from his brothers at Glory MC because his sister needed him and although he hated to be gone so long he did what he had to at the time. I have to admit I thought Glory MC forgave him a little too quickly when he came back, I'd have expected the gang to be more put out that he hadn't kept in contact, especially considering everything else that was going on at the time, but I was glad that Seven didn't hold back on chewing him out for what happened. I enjoyed getting to know Lucky's sister (although I'm a bit creeped out by the age gap between her and her MUCH older boyfriend who had previously been like a father to her!) but I had trouble figuring out the exact age difference between her and Lucky which meant I struggled to understand how Lucky had been able to walk away and leave a vulnerable child with their drug addict mother years ago to join Glory MC in the first place. It just didn't seem to fit that he cared about her so much but pretty much abandoned her before so I'd have liked that side of things explained a little better.
We got a bit more information about the futuristic world that this series is set in which was definitely needed and I'm curious to see where the Glory MC alliance with another group is going to go in the future, especially now they seem to have mutual and very dangerous enemies. I'm enjoying this series and looking forward to the next book, Nirvana, but I think I need to feel a little more like this is a gang of scary, badass bikers. At times the members of Glory seem to be a little too soft and the President made a few decisions that just didn't quite mesh up with what I'd expect from this kind of MC gang.
Merged review:
3.5 stars
Seven and Lucky were thrown together when their best friends started dating but their relationship has been anything but love at first sight, it started out antagonistic and then they started to enjoy winding each other up as much as possible. Until one drunken night all that had ever been between them was constant verbal sparring and banter but then a scorching hot kiss changed everything. They're suddenly both looking at each other in a new light but before they can explore that any further Lucky is called away on a family emergency and disappears without a word. When he returns weeks later Lucky is eager to jump back in where they left off but Seven has already been hurt once and she's not so willing to give him a second chance.
These two have one of my favourite kind of relationships, one where the sparks are obviously flying but they're both to stubborn to admit it and rather than act on their attraction they verbally spar to keep each other at a distance. I could see the potential between them in the first book so I was thrilled when I found out they'd be the second couple featured in this series and I have to admit I found Seven much easier to get to know and care about than Indie was. Seven has been through her own tough times but she's a strong character who is determined to stand on her own two feet and who has never let herself rely on anyone else. She's independent and knows what she wants so suddenly realising her feelings for Lucky have changed throws her for a loop.
Lucky walked away from his brothers at Glory MC because his sister needed him and although he hated to be gone so long he did what he had to at the time. I have to admit I thought Glory MC forgave him a little too quickly when he came back, I'd have expected the gang to be more put out that he hadn't kept in contact, especially considering everything else that was going on at the time, but I was glad that Seven didn't hold back on chewing him out for what happened. I enjoyed getting to know Lucky's sister (although I'm a bit creeped out by the age gap between her and her MUCH older boyfriend who had previously been like a father to her!) but I had trouble figuring out the exact age difference between her and Lucky which meant I struggled to understand how Lucky had been able to walk away and leave a vulnerable child with their drug addict mother years ago to join Glory MC in the first place. It just didn't seem to fit that he cared about her so much but pretty much abandoned her before so I'd have liked that side of things explained a little better.
We got a bit more information about the futuristic world that this series is set in which was definitely needed and I'm curious to see where the Glory MC alliance with another group is going to go in the future, especially now they seem to have mutual and very dangerous enemies. I'm enjoying this series and looking forward to the next book, Nirvana, but I think I need to feel a little more like this is a gang of scary, badass bikers. At times the members of Glory seem to be a little too soft and the President made a few decisions that just didn't quite mesh up with what I'd expect from this kind of MC gang....more
It's an extra epilogue set 3 years after events in the final book of the series, Overtaken & gives us a glimpse into the lives of Shanti and Cayan now that things have settled down. It's a cute story & my only complaint is that I still miss this world. I live in hope that one day K.F. Breene will decide to revisit it, perhaps through the eyes of the next generation!...more
Ilona Andrew's recently reposted all of the Twitter conversations between various Kate Daniels characters that they've written for fun over the years Ilona Andrew's recently reposted all of the Twitter conversations between various Kate Daniels characters that they've written for fun over the years on their blog so of course I had to read them again. You can find them all on Ilona's blog here: http://www.ilona-andrews.com/kate-and... and they make for hilarious reading.
I'll be right back Conversation between Kate and Jim when Kate is running late for a pack meeting before Jim ends up dropping her in it with Curran.
The Wilson Building Curran and Raphael having a brilliant time bidding against Saiman in a property auction
The Dress Curran trying to be helpful by doing laundry while Kate and Julie laugh at the mistakes he makes
DABWAHA This is a debate between Kate & Curran against Nevada & Rogan (from the Hidden Legacy series) as they fight it out over which couple has the best series. It's moderated by Dina from the Innkeeper series and is a really fun crossover of 3 fabulous worlds.
Conlan's Birthday Text It's almost Conlan's first birthday and lots of the characters are trying to figure out what gifts to buy him. Has conversations with Jim, Dali, Andrea & Raphael and of course Kate and Curran.
I laugh every time I read these conversations so it's great to have them all easily accessible and in one blog post....more
Ilona Andrew's recently reposted all of the Twitter conversations between various Kate Daniels characters that they've written for fun over the years Ilona Andrew's recently reposted all of the Twitter conversations between various Kate Daniels characters that they've written for fun over the years on their blog so of course I had to read them again. You can find them all on Ilona's blog here: http://www.ilona-andrews.com/kate-and... and they make for hilarious reading.
I'll be right back Conversation between Kate and Jim when Kate is running late for a pack meeting before Jim ends up dropping her in it with Curran.
The Wilson Building Curran and Raphael having a brilliant time bidding against Saiman in a property auction
The Dress Curran trying to be helpful by doing laundry while Kate and Julie laugh at the mistakes he makes
DABWAHA This is a debate between Kate & Curran against Nevada & Rogan (from the Hidden Legacy series) as they fight it out over which couple has the best series. It's moderated by Dina from the Innkeeper series and is a really fun crossover of 3 fabulous worlds.
Conlan's Birthday Text It's almost Conlan's first birthday and lots of the characters are trying to figure out what gifts to buy him. Has conversations with Jim, Dali, Andrea & Raphael and of course Kate and Curran.
I laugh every time I read these conversations so it's great to have them all easily accessible and in one blog post....more
Review for Rat-Catcher by Seanan McGuire only (I'm having to add this review again because some idiot has deleted the story from Goodreads - yes they'Review for Rat-Catcher by Seanan McGuire only (I'm having to add this review again because some idiot has deleted the story from Goodreads - yes they've been pissing about with Seanan's short stories again, even though this one IS AVAILABLE OUTSIDE THE BLOODY ANTHOLOGY!)
Rat-Catcher is a short story that was originally published in the A Fantasy Medley 2 anthology but can also be read online for free on the Lightspeed Magazine website.
I'm crazy about Tybalt so any story we can get from his point of view is a definite must read for me! Rat-Catcher is actually set long before the main series starts (although I'd recommend reading at least Rosemary and Rue first so you're familiar with Tybalt's character) way back when Tybalt was still just a prince called Rand and his father was the King of Cats.
I found it really interesting to see a younger, less confident version of Tybalt and I really loved the bond he shared with his two sisters. If you're familiar with the main series then you probably already know that princes have to kill the current king in order to claim the throne, in some cases princes challenge their king just because they long for power but that wasn't the case with Tybalt - he did it to protect his sisters and the rest of the Court of Cats which makes him the kind of leader that they both want and need.
I really enjoyed this glimpse into Tybalt's past and I'm definitely looking forward to reading the rest of the short stories from his point of view!...more
If you're a fan of the Discworld series then there is no way you've not come across Paul Kidby's gorgeous artwork as he's been illustrating the coversIf you're a fan of the Discworld series then there is no way you've not come across Paul Kidby's gorgeous artwork as he's been illustrating the covers since 2002 and has brought all of Terry Pratchett's most popular characters to life.
This is an absolutely gorgeous hardback that includes all of Paul Kidby's favourite Discworld pictures, many you may have seen before but also some that were only used for foreign covers or limited editions or that have never been published elsewhere. You'll find images in a mix of mediums from black and white pencil drawings to sepia or full colour acrylic and oil paintings. I loved that some images we get to see the whole process from initial pencil drawing to finished acrylic painting.
The images are split into categories which should make it easier for you to go back and find your favourite images at a later date.
The Chalk - Focuses on images of Tiffany Aching and the Wee Free Men along with the occasional appearance from Granny Weatherwax and other characters found in the Chalk.
Pseudopolis Yard - Home to the Ankh Morpork City Watch Headquarters here you'll see Captain Sam Vines, Captain Carrot, Sergeant Fred Colon, Corporal Angua, Sergeant Detritus, Nobby Nobbs and of course Errol.
Uberwald - Discworld's version of Transylvania and home to vampires, werewolves, the igors, dwarves, trolls and don't forget Amazing Maurice and his educated rodents.
Terra Incognita - this includes all the images that don't quite fit into any of the other categories, things like Rincewind on the moon, the Dungeon Dimension, Dunmanifestin (the home of the gods), the Wyrmberg, Four Ecks, Rimfall and of course the Great A'Tuin.
Ex Atelieris - This section includes drawings, paintings and sculptures of the great man Terry Pratchett himself both with and without his characters included and one of my favourite images of Terry playing chess with Death.
This really is a stunning book, I wish I'd been able to afford the Deluxe Special Edition that is only available directly from Paul Kidby or via the Discworld website but even the standard edition is a book that any fan would be proud to add to their collection!...more
The Golden Umbrella is a collection of 22 Nepalese Folktales that have been collected from across the country by five authors (Eva Kipp, Hem Rai, DiliThe Golden Umbrella is a collection of 22 Nepalese Folktales that have been collected from across the country by five authors (Eva Kipp, Hem Rai, Dilip Sapkota, Rajendra Bajracharya and Parmeswari Shrestha) and illustrated by Eva Kipp.
These stories are all very short (1-2 pages) but they remind me a little of the original Grimm tales (although not quite so dark) or Rudyard Kipling's Just So stories, they're written with a moral in mind and they get to the point very quickly.
You'll find stories about cannibals, jealous husbands, unfaithful wives, magical creatures, demons, witches and even a ghost and they're meant to portray a range of emotions from love to jealousy or bravery against impossible odds.
This book was a quick read and something that is very easy to dip in and out of. The translation to English isn't always perfect but that was easy to ignore and I found myself really enjoying the stories. A nice little reminder of our trip to Nepal!
I really enjoy making these Incredibuild models and the Niffler one is adorable. They're pretty easy to make and come with clear instructions. My mainI really enjoy making these Incredibuild models and the Niffler one is adorable. They're pretty easy to make and come with clear instructions. My main advice would be to take your time popping the pieces out from the board they come on and only take each piece out as you're ready to attach it to the model (the parts are all numbered and the instructions make it very easy to tell which piece you need next). The other thing is to be careful slotting the pieces together, try not to force them because it wouldn't be too difficult to break the wood, just go slowly and you'll have a fab finished model in no time. If you'd like to paint your model it would probably be best to do that before putting the pieces together but I'm happy to leave mine undecorated.
The book itself is only about 25 pages but it has a character profile for the main characters of Fantastic Beasts and some interesting snippets about some of the Beasts and how they used puppets to place the Niffler on screen to give the actors something to look at but then removed the pupped and added a digital Niffler in production afterwards.
The models in this set all make great little decorations for your bookcase, they're fun and fairly easy to make and are sure to be a hit with any Harry Potter fans.
The Christmas Truce is a short story set about three years before The Siren at a point when Nora and Kingsley are fighting with Soren and have pretty The Christmas Truce is a short story set about three years before The Siren at a point when Nora and Kingsley are fighting with Soren and have pretty much cut him out of their lives. They both still love him though and Christmas gives them the perfect excuse to call a one night truce between them. As a huge fan of the Original Sinners series I love that Tiffany Reisz still gives fans little snapshots of her character's lives in her free short stories every Christmas.
This one was brilliant, I love these three together and there are some really heartfelt and emotional scenes between them. Of course this being an Original Sinners story means it's also incredibly hot and it just wouldn't be the same if the three of them hadn't ended up in Soren's bed! This may be a quick read but it packs a punch and it left me contemplating a reread of the series.
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A new holiday freebie from Tiffany Reisz (read it on her website here: https://www.tiffanyreisz.com/the-chri...) staring the UnHoly Trinity at Christmas time! This is going to be awesome!!...more
If you were a fan of the Mr. Men and Little Miss books as a child then you're sure to love the nostalgic feeling these revamped adult versions will giIf you were a fan of the Mr. Men and Little Miss books as a child then you're sure to love the nostalgic feeling these revamped adult versions will give you. The books are in the same format we know and love and they have used a selection of Roger Hargreaves' original illustrations that fit the new storylines pretty perfectly.
If you've ever taken part in any kind of faddy diet you'll see yourself in Mr. Greedy's story, he's determined to lose some weight so that Mrs. Greedy will find him attractive again but it's so hard to find a diet that is both easy to stick to and gives good results.
This was a really funny story that would be a perfect stocking filler for the constant dieter in your life and I really liked the sweet ending.
If you were a fan of the Mr. Men and Little Miss books as a child then you're sure to love the nostalgic feeling these revamped adult versions will giIf you were a fan of the Mr. Men and Little Miss books as a child then you're sure to love the nostalgic feeling these revamped adult versions will give you. The books are in the same format we know and love and they have used a selection of Roger Hargreaves' original illustrations that fit the new storylines pretty perfectly.
This book starts with a very hungover Mr. Happy and then goes back in time to show the events of the office Christmas party that made him feel ill in the first place. I have to admit that this was my least favourite of the four grown up books released so far but it was still amusing and there were a lot of nods to little things that workers are sure to recognise from their own office parties. These books are perfect little stocking fillers or secret Santa gifts and I hope we'll see more books published in the range.
If you've seen the first Where's the Wookiee book then you'll know exactly what to expect from this one but in case you haven't I'll just tell you thaIf you've seen the first Where's the Wookiee book then you'll know exactly what to expect from this one but in case you haven't I'll just tell you that it's like the Where's Wally (or Where's Waldo for my American followers!) series. The book is made up of very detailed Star Wars images that are full of both random people and characters from the series. Each page gives you a list of characters to look for but also on every page you'll be able to find Chewie and several other wookiees.
This is a great stocking filler for Star Wars fans, I already know who I'm buying copies for, and it's fun trying to spot the different characters. Some are really easy to spot but there are others that I still haven't been able to find so it's not quite as easy as you expect it to be.
Here are a couple of the images included in the book (pictures taken from Amazon):
Ever since Chelly was a child she's had an invisible friend that nobody else has been able to see, people expected her to grow out of it but even now Ever since Chelly was a child she's had an invisible friend that nobody else has been able to see, people expected her to grow out of it but even now she's a mother she still sees Nikolai in her dreams. When her son is badly injured her life is turned upside down when Nikolai literally steps out of her dreams to save him. Their lives will never be the same again but can Chelly forgive Nikolai for taking away her choices from her?
I should point out that this is a short and very quick read that comes in at about 50 pages so you have to go in expecting things to be resolved fairly quickly. This was a fun read and I enjoyed the author's take on elves and Santa, it's a hot read too and there is plenty of attraction between Chelly and Nikolai but I can't help thinking how much better this could have been if their relationship had been a slower build. Yes, he's been part of her life for as long as she can remember but she never believed he was real before and after everything that happened when her son was injured I think I just needed a little more time with them talking things through and discussing their future before they jumped into bed.
This is definitely a nice Christmas story though and I'd be quite happy to read more stories about these characters, or some of the other elves we met, in the future....more
1st read - July 2013 2nd read - May 2015 3rd read - June 2016 4th read - December 2017 5th read - July 2018 6th read - June 2019 7th read - October 2020 8th 1st read - July 2013 2nd read - May 2015 3rd read - June 2016 4th read - December 2017 5th read - July 2018 6th read - June 2019 7th read - October 2020 8th read - January 2021
If you want to know what was going through Curran's head when Kate managed to trap him in the loup cage then this is a must read. The only thing I dislike about Curran in the early books is the way he constantly blames Kate for things she didn't actually do and here he seems to think it's all her fault that some of the pack have gone rogue. We all know very well that it was first Derek and then Jim that dragged her into the mess, not the other way around. Yes, she signed up willingly to help them when she found out how high the stakes were but she was in no way shape or form responsible for the mess in the first place.
What's great about this Curran POV is that he seems to realise that for himself when he talks to Julie. I find it stupidly easy to forgive Curran because it's so obvious that meeting Kate has knocked him for six, he doesn't quite know how to react to the feelings she brings out in him and it makes him behave quite irrationally at times. His reaction to Kate telling him she was going off with Jim for a dirty weekend was hilarious! I enjoyed his interactions with Julie here too, she shows she's no pushover and he shows a nicer side to his personality....more
Kaci is a bit unusual in the Shifters world, she is only a werecat because both of her parents carried recessive genes so she wasn't raised in a PrideKaci is a bit unusual in the Shifters world, she is only a werecat because both of her parents carried recessive genes so she wasn't raised in a Pride and it was a complete shock to her when she hit puberty and turned into a giant cat. Totally traumatised Kaci ended up in a bad place and if she hadn't been rescued by Faythe and the others she would still be living wild in her cat form. Faythe and Marc have been like parents to her and she's been loved and cared for on the Lazy S ranch but because of her man-eater status (and I mean that in a literal sense rather than a figurative one) she is the only rare tabby who doesn't have a crowd of adoring toms just waiting for her to be old enough to marry. Sick of being looked at like a monster and overhearing the enforcers make snide comments when she sees a chance at a weekend of complete freedom she jumps at it.
Justus is a stray who was turned against his will and left to fend for himself as part of an elaborate plot against his brother Titus. He wasn't given any help during his transition period and ended up accidentally killing two people and infecting a third. To make sure he was given a fair trial Faythe and Marc took him into their Pride to give him the rights not normally extended to strays. When he overhears some of the other enforcers talking he realises that the outcome of the trial has been decided before the alphas have even heard his side of the story. Unwilling to just sit around and wait for his death sentence to be announced Justus plots his escape. The last thing he planned to do was take one of the pride's valuable tabbies along with him but when Kaci blackmails him into helping her he doesn't have much choice.
Rachel Vincent states at the beginning of the book that this has a lighter tone to the previous two Wildcats stories because Kaci is younger than the previous heroines and also because she has such a traumatic past. I have to agree that was the case but it didn't stop me enjoying Kaci and Justus's story just as much as all the others. Wild Card was much more humorous and I really loved the slow build relationship between the main couple, the attraction was there from very early on but Justus was very patient with Kaci and didn't want to push her into anything she wasn't ready for. They both had a difficult introduction to their lives as shifters and that made them understand each other in a way a lot of others didn't. I was actually incredibly angry with the way some of Faythe's enforcers spoke about Kaci, I couldn't believe they held her past against her when she was just a young and seriously messed up kid at the time it happened. I'm happy to say that they got what they deserved in the end but be prepared to be angry in the meantime!
I really loved the chance to catch up with Faythe, Marc and so many of the characters from the original Shifters series. As always there was plenty of political manoeuvring by the alphas going on in the background but I absolutely loved the way Kaci was able to talk her and Justus out of trouble on several occasions. That girl should definitely become a lawyer because she can talk anyone into her way of thinking! We don't see much of Titus in this instalment but he does make an appearance nearer the end of the book. I have to admit I was annoyed by one particular thing he did but he came around eventually and redeemed himself in the end. There are some huge changes in this book that are bound to have a knock on effect as the series continues and I can't wait to see what is in store for the rest of the strays now. I can't tell you how much I love being back in this world, the Shifters series is still one of my favourites and this spin off is just as fantastic so I'm hoping we have many more books still to come!...more
If you were a fan of the Mr. Men and Little Miss books as a child then you're sure to love the nostalgic feeling these revamped adult versions will giIf you were a fan of the Mr. Men and Little Miss books as a child then you're sure to love the nostalgic feeling these revamped adult versions will give you. The books are in the same format we know and love and they have used a selection of Roger Hargreaves' original illustrations that fit the new storylines pretty perfectly.
Little Miss Shy is quite happy being single but she's getting sick of her mother nagging her to find Mr Right and start popping out grandkids so she decides it might be time to try online dating. Lots of rather awkward dates ensue until she realises that the perfect man for her might have been standing right in front of her all along.
This was easily my favourite of the Mr. Men for Grown Ups series and it had me laughing out loud the whole way through, probably because Little Miss Shy matches me exactly and I've had lots of frustratingly similar conversations with my own mother about this same topic. This definitely tickled my funny bone and I've already ordered a couple of extra copies to give to friends this Christmas.
