Book Review: The Dead Girl's Dance by Rachel Caine

Well, here I am back lickety-split for round two in this supernatural series. The Dead Girl's Dance is the second book in Rachel Caine's cleverly crafted Morganville Vampires series, and once again, I was not disappointed.
Claire and her roommates at the Glass house; Michael, Shane and Eve, are faced with a whole new round of challenges - family being the ultimate problem in a town ruled by vampires. With fanged miscreants and a whole lot of past emotional turmoil, resentment is sure to brew between all involved. But from that resentment a plan is formed, one more dangerous and life threatening than those involved could have ever imagined.
Not only is Claire still bullied by the college sorority clique, she also now has to deal with Eve's jailbird, psychopathic brother intent on raping and strangling the town's young girls. Teamed with Shane's biker dad and his gang of vampire-hunter cronies, and poor Claire is torn between dragging Shane (her romantic interest) from his father's fallible plans and deciding whether or not to form alliances with any vampire that will listen.
With endless nights filled with torment and sticky situations, Claire appears constantly in the thick of it. Once so small and mousy, she now stands strong, beaten but not broken by the twisted ways of this blood-run town.
Once again Rachel Caine has crafted a novel that keeps you guessing how her protagonist can possibly succeed against stacked odds. With a healthy dose of action and an endless stream of possibilities introduced to keep the side plots moving forward, it's almost impossible to lay this series to rest.
Characterisation is ever evolving and dialogue is believable when paired with the detailed imagery. The fact that I devoured this book in one sitting suggests I should be rating it five out of five fangs.

Synopsis:
Claire has her share of challenges. Like being a genius in a school that favours beauty over brains; homicidal girls in her dorm, and finding out that her college town is overrun with the living dead. On the up side, she has a new boyfriend with a vampire-hunting dad. But when a local fraternity throws the Dead Girls' Dance, hell is really going to break loose.

Kristy :)

Book Review: Demon Inside by Stacia Kane

Demon Inside is the second novel in the Personal Demons series by Stacia Kane. I've ventured further into this series, mostly because I've been curious about how the characters would develop as we dive within the ever thickening plot.
Megan Chase, a psychologist, psychic and now demonic ruler of a small cluster of emotional draining demons, still rules supreme as the leading character in this novel. She remains somewhat feeble in her role as protagonist, relying heavily on the skills of those around her and constantly challenged by her human conscience. 
In this novel Megan finds herself torn between the choices of her human life - being a psychologist and helping those in need, and surrendering to her second heart - the demon within and embracing everything being their leader entails. To top off this life changing decision, Megan is faced with the sporadic murders of demons in her coup, her father's death and once again forced to face her past and the choices she was robbed of as a child. Supported by her lover Greyson Dante, now the head of his very own demonic household, she finds herself in good hands, the fire between them burning as brightly as ever.
What I liked about this novel was that Megan finally began to embrace the inevitable - her transition into the darker side of her being. What I didn't like was her weak will and almost needy desperation when faced with adverse situations. I wanted to see decisive decision making and acceptance of circumstance. What I saw was a whole lot of whining.
Thankfully the ever mysterious Greyson carried the story forward in the supporting role. Sexy, intimidating and decidedly powerful, it was easy to see him take control of all situations, it was even no surprise that his character dominated, steeling the limelight easily from Megan Chase.
With that being said, the characters were consistent when compared to the first novel and the writing was descriptive and well structured as always with Stacia Kane - an extremely talented author. Once again this novel will rate three out of five fangs but I hold out high hopes for this series getting better as I suspect it will.

Synopsis:

Hanging out with demons can be hell....
It's been three months since psychologist Megan Chase made the stunning discovery that the world is filled with demons, and once more the situation is too hot to handle. Ironically, Megan -- the only person in the world without a little personal demon sitting on her shoulder -- has become the leader of a demon "family," but now some unknown arcane power is offing her demons in a particularly unpleasant fashion. And while her demon lover Greyson Dante is still driving her wild with desire, he's also acting strangely evasive. 
Then there's the truth about Megan's past -- the truth she's never known. Caught between personal problems and personal demons, Megan is having one hell of a hard time. Will the help of her Cockney guard demons and her witch friend Tera be enough so that Megan can finally resolve the past, survive the present, and face the future?

Book Review: Personal Demons by Stacia Kane

For me, picking up the first book in this 'demonic' series was a no brainer. It's no secret that I'm a massive Stacia Kane fan, won over by the intricate and confronting stories of Chess Putnum from the Downside Ghosts series. Unfortunately, I didn't love this book as much as I'd hoped. Don't get me wrong, I drew plenty of pleasure from this twisted little tale, but I was left wanting when it came to the writing and almost predictable nature of the story.
Personal Demons is the first book in this series, following the story of Dr Megan Chase, a psychiatrist who is partner in a successful practice and recently signed by a local radio station to psychoanalyze and help burdened souls for ratings. A brazen career move, Megan's success blooms from hidden talents, specifically her psychic senses - her ability to read minds and even seek answers from the past. The only problem with such an extraordinary talent and a new radio label known as 'the demon slayer', Megan now attracts negative attention - attention of the DEMON variety.
Suddenly finding herself victim of a zombie attack and more specifically, under the spell of a fire demon known as Greyson Dante, Megan suddenly has her hands full. Between understanding this new realm and those that are trying to kill her, leading a career unaffected by the torment of her present, and trying particularly hard not to succumb to the charms of Mr Dante, you have yourself a fun, fiery little story with a few sexually entertaining highlights if you're partial to the paranormal romance genre.
As always Stacia Kane is an eloquent writer, a clean mix of descriptive text balanced by on point conversation and clear, consistent characterisation. I never question Stacia Kane's plot deviations or character reveals, knowing that every word planted within her stories eventually unveils the point of its existence.
Unfortunately, I had expectations based on her current popular series. I expected the same level of excitement, twisted horror and sexual tension. I was left wanting despite the fact that Personal Demons was entertaining and relatively action packed. Perhaps it was both protagonists Megan and Greyson, the two interwoven into a story screaming repetitive expectation - their interaction so similar to those already starring in a million other paranormal romance novels. Alas, I can only rate Personal Demons three out of five fangs. I liked it but I didn't love it.

Synopsis:
Megan promises listeners to her new radio call-in show that she'll "slay their personal demons," and they believe her. So do the personal demons... although she doesn't know it, Megan is the only human without a demon on her shoulder Megan and her allies - a demon lover who both protects and seduces her with devilish intensity, a witch with poor social skills, and three cockney guard demons - have to deal not only with the personal demons, but a soul-sucker, ghosts of Megan's past, and a reporter who threatens to destroy Megan's career.

Book Review: Ember by Madison Daniel

The burning angst of teenage love, the insurmountable feelings of betrayal, and the tangled web of jealousy and its spread of power. A love triangle forged by searing heat, an unbridled passion quelled by insecurity, and the misguided ventures of youth.
This is 'Ember' ...
Author Madison Daniel takes us on a journey with 'Ember', a novel walking the fine line between romantic intent, just hint of mystery, and of course, a thickening plot encompassing supernatural elements and believable action sequences.
Max Valentine is the focus of this story, a seemingly confident protagonist with a seriously troubled past. Tragedy now defines him, burns within, but sends him packing to the Hawaiian Islands and into the comfort of his favourite uncle's welcoming home as refuge.
A secret long understood by the family is what consumes Max's soul. Driven by the past, Max is determined to start fresh, begin at a new school, and make new friends in the hopes they don't turn from him in fear of his special ... gifts.
A chance encounter with the mysterious Asia, a dark haired beauty with a secret of her own turns Max's newly established world upside down. Fire and water collide, a seemingly clear case of opposites attract, but is Asia's beauty and her enigmatic presence enough to heal the hurt in Max's soul or will the beautiful and sweet-natured Samantha, the girl next door and newest acquaintance in the school yard, be the one to fill the hole in Max's heart?
I know which team I'm backing, who will you choose?
As the tangled web of deceit and the natural eruption of overly intense emotions unfold, love, lust, and friendship lines become blurred. Jealousy rears its ugly head and a progression towards violence coupled with the hot heads of youth explode in a fireball of intense heat. The violence is ugly and real, and fought on the grounds of nothing less than the proclamation of intent. In the end will Max choose the cooling waters of Asia or the comfort of familiarity in Samantha? Or will he stoke the burning embers within and unleash his darkest nature to pursue the passing satisfaction of revenge?
Ember is a clearly written novel with consistent characterisation. The dialogue is concise and not over done - in keeping with the often intense and overly inflated emotions of teenagers. And with this, Madison Daniel opens a window into the male psyche, exploring the deeper feelings of the male point of view which more often than not remain a mystery to the female counter part. In this novel I could feel the character's angst, though I found myself cringing on more than one occasion, wondering when the hell Max Valentine was going to get slapped upside the head from one of his female pursuits.
Putting the love triangle to the side, I loved the injection of music into the writing. Every chapter had a certain feel to it, reflected in the song that defined it and also by each character's actions or emotions. In some instances if I didn't know the song, I would look it up and get the vibe for the chapter and the author's intent.
Overall I enjoyed the book, though essentially 'Ember' is an emotionally charged and confusing addiction to salvaging a damaged heart. The plot is peppered with the expected school parties, bullies and ensuing fights. But the supernatural element takes the story up a notch and adds an element not based on popularity contests, the quest for power, or the often over-inflated use of abilities to impress readers. The sedate touch of power had meaning in its ties to Max's past and the final few chapters explored this cleverly, leaving you wanting answers and just a little bit more. I rate this book three out of five stars, knowing that my score will probably increase as the series continues and hopefully quenches my thirst for more answers than questions.

Synopsis: A touch of fire. A lost soul to darkness. A longing to change the past. Max Valentine is 18, alone and has the power of a thousands suns at his fingertips. The crush of love will haunt him. The promise of normalcy will elude him. With a song in his heart and a guitar in his hand, he will discover the painful truth ... love never dies but it can kill.