Review: The Kingdom by Amanda Stevens

Title: The Kingdom
Series: Graveyard Queen, #2
Genres/Themes: dark urban fantasy, gothic/horror ghosts, mystery, romantic elements
Author: Amanda Stevens
Excerpt: on author website

Quick Take:
All in all, The Kingdom has boatloads of lush atmosphere (I’m sure you’ll hear that whenever someone describes this book), with several moments of creepiness and excitement. If you scare easily, I would suggest not reading this book alone in the dead of night. ^_^ But I’d certainly recommend the book and series to any and all fans of UF, especially those looking for something different from the usual.

Book Description (via Goodreads): 
Deep in the shadowy foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains lies a dying town…… 
My name is Amelia Gray. They call me The Graveyard Queen. I’ve been commissioned to restore an old cemetery in Asher Falls, South Carolina, but I’m coming to think I have another purpose here. Why is there a cemetery at the bottom of Bell Lake? Why am I drawn time and again to a hidden grave I’ve discovered in the woods? Something is eating away at the soul of this town—this withering kingdom—and it will only be restored if I can uncover the truth.


Review (first posted at Book Lovers Inc):
Atmospheric. Intense. Those are two words that keep coming to mind when I think about this book, a combination of quiet horror and lingering suspense. The Kingdom by Amanda Stevens has expanded on the strengths of its predecessor, The Restorer, while focusing on a different set of characters and locations. The beautifully written prose also brings to mind a third word: Creeptastic. ^_^

I’ve said it before, and it bears saying again: Amanda Stevens has a knack for setting up atmosphere. It’s one of the most enjoyable aspects of reading her books, in my opinion. The settings described just come alive with the language she employs. Since many of these settings involve spirits and the paranormal (remote towns and abandoned cemeteries in the deep South), the book takes on a gray, spooky feel…and the author hits the appropriate note with prose that feels effortless.

There’s quite a bit of entanglement as far as how the characters fit together, how bits of information are relevant to later developments. Some may not love that degree of complexity, nor the seemingly random, odd occurrences; heck, at times even I was a bit exasperated at feeling so unsure of what was going on—who was friend or foe, how to process certain events. But since that’s often part of the deal when reading a plot that revolves around a deep mystery, some of that is to be rightfully expected. ^_^

There’s a lot more revealed about protagonist Amelia Gray, which is a welcome direction given that much of the first book focused outwardly to other characters’ situations and backgrounds. Amelia is extremely nuanced, and the mystery surrounding her very existence is juicy enough to fill a whole string of tales. I like that she’s strong and brave, yet not impervious to fear and vulnerability.

As in book one, there was a shade of romantic intrigue, enough to satisfy the readers who love that element, but not so much as to overshadow the main plot thread and mystery. It provided enough zip to keep the story thrilling and full of life.

A bit of truth telling here: I actually enjoyed the first book more than this second one. But considering this installment does not have the benefit of “newness” that The Restorer did, I have to account for the heightened expectations (I can definitely say that The Restorer was one of my favorite books of 2011; top 3, easily. That’s a tough act to follow). Furthermore, this book has even more of an unfinished feel than the last book, insofar as many plot threads from the first and second book will feed directly into the next. Thank goodness for the fact that book three will be released in only a couple more weeks!

Rating: 5 of 5 stars

"I absolutely loved it."

In Anticipation: The Kingdom by Amanda Stevens

Without a doubt, the book The Restorer by Amanda Stevens was one of my favorite books of 2011 (easily top three). The chilling, highly atmospheric debut (yup, this was a freakin debut!) novel was absolutely unexpected, but it turned out to have been just what I needed. So enter the followup one year later, called The Kingdom, which is promising to be just as spooky and mysterious:

Deep in the shadowy foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains lies a dying town...

My name is Amelia Gray. They call me The Graveyard Queen. I’ve been commissioned to restore an old cemetery in Asher Falls, South Carolina, but I’m coming to think I have another purpose here.

Why is there a cemetery at the bottom of Bell Lake? Why am I drawn time and again to a hidden grave I’ve discovered in the woods? Something is eating away at the soul of this town—this withering kingdom—and it will only be restored if I can uncover the truth.

I like how the book description above is not very spoiler-y. There was a lot that went down in the first book, a lot of unfinished business between certain characters, but it's left alone in the blurb to focus on reintroducing the mysterious unknown that's explored so well by the author. Amelia Gray is sent on another assignment, to complete the seemingly straightforward (though labor-intensive task) of restoring a graveyard. But of course, nothing is as it seems, and even the dead have an active role to play. The elusiveness of the blurb is the stuff great mystery is made of.

The cover of this book (and the other installments) is not the flashiest ever, but that's perfectly appropriate to the tone and focus of the series. It's quiet, unassuming, and mysterious, and it belies something dark and forbidding. I love how all the little visual clues just reinforce what the blurb and previous installment established--that this will be a quietly powerful tale--and a super creepy one, to boot.

If you haven't checked out this series yet, I'd sooo recommend you do, provided you can handle a bit (read: a lot) of creepiness. ^_^ Be sure to read in broad daylight, preferably with someone else present. ^_^ It'll totally be worth it.


Graveyard Queen series:
#0.5 - The Abandoned (published April 1, 2011 by Harlequin Mira)
#1 - The Restorer (published April 19, 2011 by Mira)
#2 - The Kingdom (to be published March 27, 2012 by Mira)
#3 - The Prophet (to be published April 24, 2012 by Mira)

Review: Blind Love by Nina Pierce

Title: Blind Love

Series: Tilling Passions

Genres/Themes: contemporary romance, murder mystery

Author: Nina Pierce
Buy: Kindle, Nook, Smashwords

Quick Take:

A sweet and hot tale with likable protagonists. The mystery that drove the plot was a bit on the weak side, but the developing connection between the two main characters was enough to satisfy cravings for intrigue.

Book Description (via Goodreads): 

     Uptight CPA and oldest sister, Julie TIlling, is the glue that binds her family. Everyone depends on her to do the right thing. When her friend from high school dies and Julie is the only one who believes he didn’t commit suicide, she takes it upon herself to investigate his death.     Damon Corey didn’t come to Maine to become a shock jock. But when his dream career of becoming a concert pianist seems unobtainable, the radio station’s offer is too good to pass up. When mysterious brunette Jewel, hooks up with him at the night club run by a college frat brother, their one night fling wraps around his heart and makes him believe in love at first sight.      But can Damon expose his inner soul without pushing Julie away or will his enigmatic shock jock persona become Julie’s sexual undoing and reveal him as the missing piece that solves the puzzling questions surrounding her friend’s death?

Review:

I can tell you from the get-go that the following review is not likely to be a great one. There are books that can incite strong reactions, either positive or negative. And then there are those that are pretty nice, but don't leave a lasting impression. This book, I must say, turned out to be the latter for me. It was enjoyable overall, had a lot of sizzle…but after finishing I wasn't struck by much.

The title of this book is apt in many ways (I love it when a book's title has lots of depth!). The most obvious is that of the hero and heroine of the story, who are introduced to each other under fairly false pretenses. They spend much of the story learning more about what's behind all of the superficial layers. It's that particular aspect of the book that drew me in the most. The responsible, somewhat repressed Julie Tilling has a number of cute and daring interactions with the nominally outrageous (but inwardly sweet) Damon Corey…resulting in both steamy hot and delightfully charming moments. Both characters were interesting individually, which certainly cannot be said of most romances.

I'm not going to lie…I was a bit underwhelmed by the element of the book involving the suspected murder of Julie Tilling's childhood friend. To me, it felt more like a plot device that was just there to give the two protagonists a reason to interact. The book is not very long to begin with, but I felt like the scenes and developments related to the initial premise (a one-woman investigation of a suicide that might not be what it seems) were in the background. Even the resolution of this thread seemed jumbled. This is perhaps not a book that one would read for its mystery elements.

I'm hoping that the next books, which feature the remaining siblings in the Tilling family, are successful in making sisters Meghan and Dierdre more sympathetic. As it stands, those ladies are…well, they're kind of selfish jerks. ^_^ But that's just my personal prejudice, and has little to do with the quality of the book. As it stands, I do plan on reading on to find out what romantic adventures find their way to the Tilling sisters. And I would indeed recommend it to others.

Rating: 3 of 5 stars

"I liked it."

This has been a Bewitching Book Tours tour stop. To visit the other stops for Blind Love, click here.

Review: The Restorer by Amanda Stevens

Title: The Restorer

Series: The Graveyard Queen, #1

Genres/Themes: urban fantasy, murder mystery, ghosts, romance-ish

Excerpt: here
Author: Amanda Stevens

Quick Take:

A highly atmospheric, chilling novel. I absolutely loved it! It might give you a fright, but it's well worth the thrill.

Book Description (via author site):
     My name is Amelia Gray.  I'm a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts.  In order to protect myself from the parasitic nature of the dead, I've always held fast to the rules passed down from my father.  But now a haunted police detective has entered my world and everything is changing, including the rules that have always kept me safe.     It started with the discovery of a young woman's brutalized body in an old Charleston graveyard I've been hired to restore.  The clues to the killer--and to his other victims--like in the headstone symbolism that only I can interpret.  Devlin needs my help, but his ghosts shadow his every move, feeding off his warmth, sustaining their presence with his energy.  To warn him would be to invite them into my life.  I’ve vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the symbols lead me closer to the killer and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next.

Review:

Freaking A, man. What an awesome book this is!
I must confess that, as a scaredy cat and ghost-story wimp, I was hesitant at first to read Amanda Stevens's trilogy opener. The book description sounded very intriguing, but it was obviously meant to give the potential reader a taste of the eerie setting and chilling theme of the full novel. Boy, am I glad I got past that hesitancy. I was thoroughly creeped out whilst reading this tale, but more importantly, I was exhilarated.

So let's start with that emotion. Yes, this book is creepy; the author is quite skilled at creating atmosphere. Stevens's writing style is resonant, engaging, and very easy to fall into. The language is crisp and easily accessible--not simplistic--and yet descriptions are vivid, crafting a clear visual and understanding of both the characters and the settings. I'd imagine that's precisely what one would want when attempting to scare the pants off of someone. ^_^

It's perhaps good that the mechanics of the language used does not confound, because this is indeed a dense book. There are numerous details that are integral to the storyline, and the main mystery is quite multilayered. In fact, there are elements in play that suggest the author is focused on the bigger, series-wide picture at all times. In that regard, this story's events solve mysteries, but titillate even more. The narrative barely scratches the surface of the main characters' struggles and inner scars. Protagonist Amelia Gray is one complex individual; amiable as far as protagonists go, but clearly haunted (literally and figuratively). That she finds herself drawn to an equally haunted man will provide a lot of arresting emotional material in upcoming installments.

If you can manage a highly atmospheric, spooky and complex book that absolutely must be read as part of a series arc, you need to pick up The Restorer. This will be a standout series, just you wait n see! ^_^

Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

"I REALLY liked it!"

KLB Tour Stop: Giving Up the Ghost (Review)

Title: Giving Up The Ghost
Series: n/a
Genres/Themes: paranormal romance, mystery, love after loss
Author: Melissa Ecker
Length: 75,000 words
Excerpt: here

Quick Take:
This is a paranormal romance with lots of heartfelt emotion, though it still had plenty of sizzle to satisfy PnR fans.

Book Description (via publisher):
     Kylie McAllister has it all until her world is shattered by the death of her husband, Jackson, in a car accident. After a year of grieving, Kylie uses the proceeds from Jackson’s life insurance to purchase a plantation home on the outskirts of New Orleans to start over with their daughter, Abby. Confirmed bachelor, Ryan LaCroix, has no intentions of settling down with anyone, let alone his best friend’s widow, but somehow Kylie and Abby find their way into his heart.

     After discovering an old Ouija board in the attic of her new home, Kylie unwittingly opens a cosmic door to an incubus who pretends to be the dead husband she is so desperately struggling to let go of. She falls deep under his potent spell of delicious sex and malevolent obsession while he gradually drains her life to fortify his own. By the time she realizes he’s an imposter, she is powerless to stop him. Together, with Jackson’s subliminal guidance and the help of a kind voodoo practitioner, Ryan and Kylie wage a fight for her life against the evil entity.

Review:
Loss of a spouse. From the get-go (read: the book description), one knows that this book is not likely to be full of sunshine and slapstick, or even an abundance of purely physical pursuits. Melissa Ecker's paranormal romance takes a difficult situation and builds upon it to be much more than just a devastating life event.

But speaking of said event. I think it's a testament to the author's skill as a writer that this book had me swimming in tears within the first three chapters. That reaction wasn't brought about simply because "someone died," but because Ecker really drew out the devastation and desperation that the protagonist (Kylie McAllister) experienced as a result of her loss.

This loss has enduring effect on the heroine, but not for the reasons one may think. This story does not feature a long struggle of guilt at being a surviving spouse, nor does it have Kylie hesitating to eventually want to find love again. This is a ghost (or mysterious presence ^_^) story, in which a sequence of events following Kylie's loss leads to a haunting. A very malevolent, but steamy, haunting.

There's certainly a decent amount of heat to be found in this story (though it's by no means at the level of erotica, Ecker's typical genre stomping grounds). Even given the sensuality factor in this book--which was delectable, let me tell you--there was a lot of emotion. It's in that respect that I felt the tale was really stand-out. The concern, care, anger, frustration, sadness, fear...all of these expressions were vivid and believable.

A note for those typically averse to ghost stories: don't fear this one. This book won't keep you up at night pointing a flashlight at the closet. It might keep you up for a different reason, however, and will likely make you think twice about that next sexy dream. ^_^

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

"I really liked it"

Want to check out more by this author? Visit www.melissaecker.com for excerpts, other titles, and info on appearances.  KLB Tours will be giving away a themed trading card as well as an e-copy of Giving Up The Ghost, so be sure to mosey on over there!!!

Giving Up The Ghost - Virtual Journey Schedule 

5/15   Book Lovers:  http://www.bookloversinc.com/

5/16   Lush Book Reviews:  http://lushbookreviewss.blogspot.com/
5/17   Ramblings From A Chaotic Mind:  http://nikkibrandyberry.wordpress.com/
5/18   The Order of Smut Vixens:  http://orderofsmutvixens.blogspot.com/
5/19   Hanging With Bells:   http://hangingwithbells.blogspot.com/
5/20   Erotic Reviews by Mistress Spice:  http://spiceeroticreviews.blogspot.com/
5/21   My Need To Read:  http://www.myneedtoread.com/ 

5/22   Paranormal & Romantic Suspense Reviews:  http://paranormalromanticsuspensereviews.blogspot.com 

5/23   Larissa's Life:  http://www.larissaslife.com/ 

5/24   Read My Mind:  http://aliseonlife.blogspot.com/ 

5/25   Tigris Eden:  http://www.tigriseden.com/

Early Review: The Myterious Lady Law by Robert Appleton

Cover art by Frauke Spanuth

The Mysterious Lady Law by Robert Appleton
To be published Jan. 31 by Carina Press

Quick Take:

This is a short but fairly succinct story, which succeeds in capturing the spirit of the classic "Whodunit" detective fiction. With the added steampunk element, it's quite the imaginative romp.

Book Description (from GoodReads):

In a time of grand airships and steam-powered cars, the death of a penniless young maid will hardly make the front page. But part-time airship waitress and music hall dancer Julia Bairstow is shattered by her sister's murder. When Lady Law, the most notorious private detective in Britain, offers to investigate the case pro bono, Julia jumps at the chance-even against the advice of Constable Al Grant, who takes her protection surprisingly to heart.
      Lady Law puts Scotland Yard to shame. She's apprehended Jack the Ripper and solved countless other cold-case crimes. No one knows how she does it, but it's brought her fortune, renown and even a title. But is she really what she claims to be-a genius at deducting? Or is Al right and she is not be trusted?
      Julia is determined to find out the truth, even if it means turning sleuth herself-and turning the tables on Lady Law... 

Review:

What is it about 19th- (and early 20th) century Britain that makes for such fun, memorable detective tales? The adventures of Holmes, Poirot, Hartwright… when you think of old-school sleuthing, you often think of that time and place. Or at least I do! ^_^ The notion of ferreting out details on heinous crimes amongst staid and "polite" society is amusing, sitting here a century later.

Add to that a layer of steampunk, with wild possibilities and accompanying societal optimism (masking private pessimism, of course). That's what is at the heart of this tale, set in London. At one point in the story a character makes passing reference to Wilkie Collins…and it's an apt acknowledgement for the author to have included. In Lady Law, there's the mysterious crime. There's what's assumed and accepted to have happened, and there's what really occurred. Of course, there's also the tenacious individual who will anything to get to the truth.

I loved how the author instilled a sense of potential shadiness in just about everyone and everything. One feels they must question everything that occurs…seemingly innocuous comments; curious coincidences. There are many red herrings tucked away all over the place, but they are plausible and thus serve their indented purpose: to produce doubt, for both the characters and the reader.

This story is fairly short…I'd say it's novella length. As such, character exploration remained mostly superficial. The progression of the mystery itself remains front-and-center, which I appreciated. But there was just enough development of the main cast to elicit some concern for their well-being. Due to the length, I also chose to overlook a couple of expository loose-ends.

The steampunk element was indeed a necessity to the plot, though that is perhaps not immediately evident. Descriptions were full enough to paint a strong visual picture, and one can make guesses at everything else; I must admit I had no clue what a psammeticum lens or a Leviacrum telescope would look like, but I managed just fine. ^_^

I hear-tell that this story is Robert Appleton's first go at steampunk. I think he wove a fun little tale, and hope he has plans to write in the genre again.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars