Alice’s Adventures Under Water by Lenny de Rooy
Publisher: Millennyum Publications
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Historical
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe
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If you enjoyed Lewis Carroll’s books “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There”, this is the book for you! Finally, there is a third story in the ‘Alice’ series – written in Carroll’s familiar style, but packed with a great number of completely new puns, parodies, and poetry. This time, Alice explores an under-water world, in which she meets new characters who again make her wonder about their strange logic and behaviour. The story can be enjoyed by everyone, even those who have never read Carroll’s books. However, the more familiar you are with them, the more references you will recognise in this exceptionally clever tale…
Archives for September 2021
Book of the Month Poll ~ Alice’s Adventures Under Water by Lenny de Rooy
The Wars Between Us by J.A. Boulet
The Wars Between Us by J.A. Boulet
Publisher: Self Published
Genre: Historical Romance
Rated: 4 stars
Review by RoseAn inner struggle of self destruction, a poignant love story and the terrifying Battle of the Atlantic.
Meet Zachary Olason. You’ll either love him or hate him.
Spanning the years from the Great Depression to WW2, this endearing summer release will capture your heart as Zack, a bad boy struggling on the brink of alcoholism, loses himself and spirals into nights of debauchery, riots and drunkenness. His twin brother, Adam, thinks lowly of him as his entire family struggles to help him.
But Zack is determined to make a mess of his life.
Until he meets a beautiful petite woman, half Cree and part British, who helps him to grow into a better version of himself.
Then just as he thinks life is getting better, he sinks to the bottom of hell. Will he survive from his own self-destruction?
The only way he sees out is to join the Canadian Navy.The Battle of the Atlantic will either teach him or break him.
THE WARS BETWEEN US
With action packed adrenaline and steamy love scenes, The Wars Between Us will keep you gripped to your seat on a ride of addiction, unwavering love and the fight to stay alive during WWII.
This book is part of the Olason family saga, but it can definitely be read on its own. I loved catching up with this family and I especially loved reading about the relationship between Zach and his twin Adam. I am not huge on war stories, so I hesitated a little about reading this one, but I enjoyed the other books in the series, so I thought I would give it a chance. The wars in the title does deal with WWII and the Canadian Navy (fascinating, by the way), but also refers to the brothers who are very different. Although they love each other, there are definitely times when they don’t like each other very much, and I loved seeing their relationship grow and change.
Zach also wars with himself and the choices he makes. There were times I wanted to pick him up, slap him, and tell him to stop feeling so sorry for himself. But then there were other times when I wanted to comfort him and tell him that everything was going to be alright. When an author can make the reader feel that strongly about a character, that’s a good thing.
Ms. Boulet has, once again, crafted a tale that not only let me learn something, but also allowed me to become a part of this family vicariously. I have to admit, this is my favorite book of the series. I do hope she is planning on taking us into the next generation of the family. I’ll be on the lookout!
The American Earl by Joan Wolf
The American Earl by Joan Wolf
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Historical, Romance
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by MistflowerWhen the Earl of Althorpe dies, his daughter Julia is horrified to learn that the new earl is an American. Her father has left their estate, Stoverton, burdened with enormous debt and the only good news about the new earl is that he’s a millionaire. Julia’s hope is that he will bail out the estate and go back home to America, leaving her to run Stoverton, as she always has.
Evan Marshall, the new earl, has no use for the British and certainly does not want to be an English earl. However, he finds not only has he inherited enormous debts, but he is now the guardian of two girls—Julia and her younger sister Maria.
On the advice of his aunt, he agrees to give Julia a London Season so she can catch a husband and take care of Maria. Then he’ll be able to go home to America, where he belongs.
Nothing goes according to either of these very determined people’s plans.
I’ve lost count of how many Joan Wolf books I’ve read. I do know the American Earl is consistent with her other previous books that I have experienced, ‘flawless and entertaining’.
l found that the synopsis was a very good summary of the story. If a reader finds synopsis interesting too, then definitely give it a shot. There aren’t any sudden or unexpected plot twists in this book. The storytelling is smooth and evenly paced from start to finish.
The characters are well developed and relatable. The heroine, Julia, is a confident individual who had her world fall out from under her. The hero, Evan, had his world turned upside down and was like a deer caught in headlights. Together they were like the blind leading the blind with the help of their relatives.
Observing the sweet romance bloom and blossom between Julia and Evan was fun and interesting. They came from two worlds that only true love could unite. There was actually one surprise near the end of the story that shook Julia’s world a second time but it did not drop the floor from under my feet. Evan was my hero as well as Julia’s. That’s all I can say about that.
I never read a historical with an American earl but the idea intrigued me and I’m glad that I took the time to read this book. I hope you will give it a chance too. Happy Reading!
A Firing Offense by George Pelecanos
A Firing Offense by George Pelecanos
Publisher: Orion Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by FernAs the advertising director of Nutty Nathan’s, Nick Stefanos knows all the tricks of the electronics business. Blow-out sales and shady deals were his life. When one of the stockboys disappears, it’s not news: just another metalhead who went off chasing some dream of big money and easy living. But the kid reminded Nick of himself twelve years ago: an angry punk hooked on speed metal and the fast life. So when the boy’s grandfather begs Nick to find the kid, Nick says he’ll try.
Nick Stefanos works in advertising but has climbed his way up to his comfortable office position the long way – through the sales floor ranks and up through every level. He is perfectly happy to coast along until the grandfather of one of the stockboys Nick is friendly with approaches him. Nick isn’t too worried to hear the young man has gone missing, but as Nick casually looks into it what he uncovers is far darker and way more violent than he could have ever expected.
I was surprised just how much I enjoyed this very noir style of mystery. On the surface it’s quite simple, Nick reluctantly agrees to ask a few questions from people he knows and doesn’t plan to step too far out of his own path or stretch much at all. But what he thought was just a kid out having a good time is very much not that and so much more complicated everything – including Nick’s comfortable life – spirals out of control. This in itself could have easily been a gritty, older-style of noir hard boiled story, but the author does an amazing job of balancing this with a very seedy sort of underlife to the city and edges that really darkens the story significantly to my mind.
With frequent and very casual use of drugs and alcohol – sometimes to a level where I had to pause and wonder how the characters could have got away with their antics, I realized that while certainly fiction, the scenarios for all their craziness were so very plausible and realistic. This, more than the plot of the missing young man, really lent a weight and heaviness to the whole story I felt. It was simultaneously the thing I enjoyed most about the book, but equally the thing that disquieted me the entire read through.
This will not be every readers cup of tea, for sure. Different and envelope pushing this is a gritty and realistic read that while filled with violence and drug/alcohol abuse is also a story firmly about Nick and how when it comes to the crunch he – like all of us – has decisions to make. Decisions about which path to follow, what choices he can live with and where he draws the line between right and wrong, acceptable and not. It’s not often a book makes me really stop reading mid-sentence, sit back, think and mull over these sorts of things. And as uncomfortable as that was, I found it refreshing and brilliant though it took a while for me to get through it as there were a number of things I personally needed to dwell on and unpack as I trailed along after Nick.
Readers who can handle a darker and gritter style of writing and background and particularly those who like to occasionally delve deeper into life and our choices really should check this out. There are two more books featuring Nick Stefanos and after my heart rate has calmed down a bit I fully expect I’ll be purchasing them both.
Things I Would Tell a New Author by Bernadette Marie – Guest Post and Giveaway
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Bernadette Marie will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
There is a common question that I get from those who want to write a book but have yet to commit. “I want to write a book. Where do I start?”
The first thing I tell a wannabe author, or even a new author feeling the waters, is meet other authors. Get to know those who are likeminded and share the same passion. I don’t mean that if you write fantasy, you should only converse with those who write fantasy, on the contrary, mix it up.
Authors have a kinship that is easily shared. Most authors I know want to share their journey with anyone who is forging their own path. And every journey is different. Some authors have million-dollar publishing contracts on their first book ever. Other authors will pen one hundred books and make pennies. The point is, each author is passionate about their storytelling process, and they will share that with you.
Where do you meet these likeminded people? Writing groups are phenomenal for this kind of networking. They have local and national groups from every kind of genre, for fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, you name it. Check out a local chapter. Go to a conference. Meet an author at a book signing and see who they’re affiliated with. Take a class from an author. The possibilities are endless.
Whether you have written an entire series or have yet to put a word down on paper, feeding that passion with people who understand your thought process and your dreams in invaluable.
My next piece of advice for a new author would be to write. I know it sounds like that would be a normal step, but authors sometimes like to get in their heads too much. You can spend years plotting out a book, or making character sheets and spreadsheets to follow. Sometimes, authors know every aspect of the book so well they’re living and breathing the details, but they’ve yet to get the whole story down.
Write that book. Write it from start to finish. It’s going to suck—that’s called a first draft. You’re going to massage it and make it better, that’s called editing and revising. So don’t be fearful of the words you’re putting down, just get them out of you. And when you go to a conference and you’re sitting with seasoned authors, they will commiserate with you. Because they too had to go through that same process to get their first book down on paper too.
Enjoy the process!
Saying goodbye is sometimes the beginning.
Craig Turner was Coach Diaz’s star player, back in the day. He was held in high regard, until he broke the rules and dated the coach’s daughter. Young and stupid, his affection for her lasted until graduation, and then it was time to face the real world–but his love for her would never leave him.
Rachel Diaz became who her father wanted her to be, a well educated, well traveled, successful woman, but she holds a well full of secrets from the outside world. As a high school therapist, she uses her past traumas to help others overcome their own.
When the Fabulous Five arrive at Coach Diaz’s funeral, to pay their respects, a rekindling happens between them all—and between Craig and Rachel.
Is Rachel woman enough to face her demons and is Craig man enough to accept them? Or will their encounter be as brief as the affair they had a decade ago, behind her father’s back?
Enjoy an Excerpt
“Dr. Olivia Chasen,” Santa’s jolly baritone popped her mental fuzzy bubble.
She stopped as she struggled to whirl around. “Me?” She touched her chest with a dramatic flourish she didn’t know she possessed.
A powerful spotlight illuminated her; its heat burned her already flushed face.
She pressed a clammy palm to her chest. “How do you know my name?” The haze in her mind was paralyzing all cognitive function.
“My dear girl,” Santa chuckled, “you should know by now that Santa knows everything and everyone,” he tapped an index finger to his temple.
Santa Claus turned to address the waiting line. “Girls, Boys, Moms, Dads, everyone, if you don’t mind waiting for a brief moment, I’d like for Olivia,” he pointed a white gloved finger at her, “to please come up here on stage, and tell me what she wants for Christmas.”
She stood dumbfounded as the audience and the people in line clapped and chanted her name, “Olivia! Olivia! Olivia!”
Oh no! What was she going to do? She couldn’t possibly go up onto that stage. She was far too shy to address a theater full of people.
But if she didn’t go that would be so unexciting and so like the old Olivia.
But she wasn’t unexciting! She was the new Olivia, and she was exciting! And she wanted to have fun! Correction: She was determined to have fun. Besides, she’d never see these people—her fellow passengers—ever again.
About the Author: 
Bestselling Author Bernadette Marie is known for building families readers want to be part of. Her series The Keller Family has graced bestseller charts since its release in 2011. Since then she has authored and published over thirty-five books. The married mother of five sons promises romances with a Happily Ever After always…and says she can write it because she lives it.
Obsessed with the art of writing and the business of publishing, chronic entrepreneur Bernadette Marie established her own publishing house, 5 Prince Publishing, in 2011 to bring her own work to market as well as offer an opportunity for fresh voices in fiction to find a home as well.
When not immersed in the writing/publishing world, Bernadette Marie and her husband are shuffling their five hockey playing boys around town to practices and games as well as running their family business. She is a lover of a good stout craft beer and might have an unhealthy addiction to chocolate.
Buy the book at Amazon.
The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths
The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths
Publisher: Quercus Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by FernForensic archeologist Dr. Ruth Galloway is in her late thirties. She lives happily alone with her two cats in a bleak, remote area near Norfolk, land that was sacred to its Iron Age inhabitants—not quite earth, not quite sea. But her routine days of digging up bones and other ancient objects are harshly upended when a child’s bones are found on a desolate beach. Detective Chief Inspector Nelson calls Galloway for help, believing they are the remains of Lucy Downey, a little girl who went missing a decade ago and whose abductor continues to taunt him with bizarre letters containing references to ritual sacrifice, Shakespeare, and the Bible. Then a second girl goes missing and Nelson receives a new letter—exactly like the ones about Lucy.
Is it the same killer? Or a copycat murderer, linked in some way to the site near Ruth’s remote home?
DCI Harry Nelson refuses to give up the hunt for a missing young girl, even though she was kidnapped just over ten years ago now. When bones are found in the Saltmarshes he calls in Dr Ruth Galloway, a local archaeologist with the University, to help uncover the site and help his investigations into the ancient henge.
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I really enjoyed this full length novel – the first in a series between DCI Nelson and Dr Galloway. While at times I found it off-putting that the book is written in the present tense this overall didn’t detract too much from my enjoyment. There is a strong cast of characters, about a half dozen well fleshed out main characters and a roughly equal number of smaller secondary characters. This, coupled with the interesting clashes and slow building connection between Nelson and Ruth really wove well with the various sub-plots. I thoroughly enjoyed how the two missing girls, the henge and holy sites around the salt marshland and the shifting friendships and complications of the various relationships between the characters all intermingled and wove around. I changed my mind about what was really going on underneath it all a few times as the characters and their relationships shifted and altered and this really kept me on my toes, along with the central plotline itself of the missing girls.
I feel readers looking for a more traditional style of mystery might struggle a bit with this book. There are definitely changing alliances and shifts in the various characters – from good to bad and back again – as the plot unfurls. Nothing is particularly linear here and while I found it not traditional, I was surprisingly fine with this. The excellent plotting, good writing and reality that life isn’t black or white, good or bad, really helped me connect a bit with the shifts in the plot and characters.
I also enjoyed how the site itself – both the desolate marshland of Norfolk as well as the henge site itself was practically a character in this story. The scenery and landscape, the danger of the changing tides and the easy comparisons with the loneliness and beauty of the harsh nature was a lovely addition I feel the author really added well into the story.
While I admit some of the characters actions won’t be every readers cup of tea, and the present tense writing style likely will rub some people the wrong way, I strongly feel this story (both the characters and the exceptional plot) is well worth the effort of sticking with the book. At numerous points I was pleased to have kept going and even though I’m still not sold on the book being written in the present tense, this was a minor blip as the action really amped up around the middle of the book and I found myself racing through the final half in almost one sitting.
An excellent first book in the series. I’ve already purchased the second and am eagerly awaiting it’s arrival so I can jump right in.
Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge for September 29, 2021
Each Wednesday, Long and Short Reviews hosts a weekly “blog hop”. For more details on how to participate, please click here.
NOTE: we also host the Friday Five–a fun writing prompt blog hop and would love to see you there!
Today’s topic is: Something I Wish Someone Would InventL
Challenge Accepted by Jaqueline Snowe
*Challenge Accepted by Jaqueline Snowe
Publisher: Totally Entwined Group
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by LarkspurCollege is all about learning, right?
Most college girls ‘swipe right’ to meet the right guy—Callie meets All-Star pitcher Zade while he’s buying tampons. College is all about learning, right?
How often do you meet your dream guy buying tampons at Target? Never, right? For Callie, a baseball-loving, hardworking college student, it happened just once. The magic was too real, too fast and too much, so she left the store without exchanging names.
But fate works in wonderful ways, right?
Zade Willows, the All-Star pitcher rumored to be drafted his senior year, gets what he wants. He has a fan club who follow his every move, but when he meets Callie, the game changes. She knows all his plays and that the game always ends—in heartbreak. But Zade doesn’t back down and is willing to try anything.
He’ll eventually get the girl, right?
When Zade and Callie meet at Target, they immediately connect. Challenge Accepted is a slow burn college sports romance that is sweet, fun and entertaining.
Zade and Callie meet when they are busy working on their college degrees. Neither one of them has any plans of settling down with one person. However, once they meet, it is impossible for them to fight their sizzling attraction. I thought Zade and Callie were perfect for each other. I loved these two together and enjoyed all their interactions; they have great dynamics and the bantering easily flows between them.
I loved Callie, she is smart and sassy and gives Zade a run for his money. I thought her confidence was her best attribute. Callie can’t help being attracted to Zade, a hot college baseball pitcher, but she treats him differently than the other girls on campus. She constantly keeps Zade on his toes. She sees him as a person not as a future pro baseball player, who will make a lot of money.
I liked Zade and I could understand why Callie was so attracted to him. On campus Zade has a reputation as a womanizer and it never bothered him, until he met Callie, the woman of his dreams. Zade likes everything about Callie, he has never met anyone like her, with Callie he has finally met his match. Zade wants more with Callie but he has to work hard before she trusts him. As they spend time together and the sparks fly, they slowly get to know each other and move toward a future together.
This is a slow burning and beautiful story. It has realistic character development and is easy to read, while being upbeat and tender. The characters are fun and likable and the story flows nicely. I also enjoyed the secondary characters, they are entertaining and add another dimension to the story. I highly recommend this sparkling and uplifting story.
Stargazer by David Scott – Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. David Scott will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other posts on the tour.
For thousands of years, stars have held our attention and imagination. They influence our life—we wish upon them, sing songs about them, navigate by them, write about them, follow them, and even give their name to the actors we love. My memories have revealed a lifetime of navigating by the stars, and moving beyond the fear and anxiety that self-doubt so insidiously cloaks us in. Yes, as Jiminy Cricket sang for us in Walt Disney’s Pinocchio, “when you wish upon a star . . . fate steps in and sees you through.”
Memories and influences have a profound effect on our lives. I look back on my childhood years—the 1940s to mid-’50s—and I can recall the people who were inspirational to me. Mostly it was my family, but there was also Jiminy Cricket. You no doubt recollect the song “When You Wish Upon a Star,” with its lyrics that lift the spirit and let you believe anything is possible. I didn’t doubt Jiminy for a minute.
The early years of my life were a time of innocence, security, adventure, and family love. How quickly my situation changed—one decision by my parents, made with my best interests foremost in their thoughts, shattered the world I had known. Through the fear, torment, isolation, and loss of my own identity, my memories and influences would come to have an overwhelming power on the choices I was to make.
My transition from teenager to adult seemed to happen overnight, but my unflappable outward appearance belied the struggles of a boy coming to terms with his guilt, and an irresistible need for his parents to be proud of him. My future was being shaped from the past, but it took me a long time to realise it. I chose the road less travelled, steeped in the wonder of the cinema and accompanied by my beloved animal companions, and it has been intriguing, daunting, rewarding, and, at times, solitary, but I always felt it was the path I was meant to take.
Like so many people, I let the emotions attached to memories hold me captive, and I missed opportunities to choose with more clarity. A near-death experience helped me to live a simpler life. Participating in a creative writing course inspired me to engage in script writing, stage work, and novel writing. This is my third book, an autobiography that has revealed more of me than I ever intended to share, and fate has led you to it.
Enjoy an Exclusive Excerpt
Skylarking was associated with everything we did, like when we switched townspeople’s garbage bins from one street to another. It was a less wasteful era— bottles were refundable and goods weren’t excessively wrapped like nowadays, so bins back then were about a third of the size of today’s Sulo bins and were made of tin and varied in shape, size and quality. For quite a while, victims searching for their garbage cans were not impressed with Apexians.
During my time with the club, members constructed the town’s first caravan park, erected almost a kilometre of cyclone-wire fencing around the cemetery, and produced the inaugural Peaches ’n’ Cream festival that became a regular two-yearly event.
The only fly in the ointment was often being the odd man out when drinking at the bar with Apexians. They all had history of things they’d done together while I had none I could mention. In some ways, I felt I was being left out, like as a child when my siblings did stuff I wasn’t allowed to because I was too young. Age wasn’t the problem but my past was: my college experience and sexual orientation were forbidden territory to mention. Being gay in a small country town meant any dalliances needed to be cloak and dagger and certainly not in Cobram—the gossip would have been inescapable. It was a heavy burden to bear; any slip-ups would have had catastrophic consequences so I was constantly on my guard.
I dated girls, making sure outings were with other couples so we didn’t go past the petting stage. It kept up a respectful image but I was never comfortable with it. One of our excursions was to a Melbourne drive-in theatre for a midnight advance screening of a remake of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s State Fair, an event Fox had given me a free car pass to. I made sure there was no chance of hanky-panky by packing the car with two other Apexians and their girlfriends. The film was an abomination, Jose Ferrier’s directorship ruining the fun and joy of the original, but we didn’t care, the novelty of the trip to a drive-in theatre in the Big Smoke was everything.
About the Author:
David Scott is a playwright, director and novelist – among other things. His career included forty years as a film exhibitor; establishing a horse stud; managing a motel; working in the hospitality industry, and a few other experiences along the way. David’s latest book, Stargazer, is an autobiography highlighting the value of family, ingenuity, bravado, old-fashioned common sense, colourful characters and unfailing good humour. From rural towns in Victoria and New South Wales, to the mountain life in Queensland, the constant has been faithful canine companions, perseverance and a joy for living.
Buy the book at Amazon, Amazon AU, Amazon CA, Bookshop, Barnes and Noble, Book Depository, or iBooks.
Mile High with a Vampire by Lynsay Sands
Mile High with a Vampire by Lynsay Sands
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Romance, Mystery/Suspense
Rating: 5 Stars
Review by: XeranthemumIn the latest Argeneau novel from New York Times bestselling author Lynsay Sands, an immortal and her mortal pilot are on the run from hungry vampires…and discover they’re life mates along the way.
Quinn Peters never wanted to be immortal. Once a renowned heart surgeon, she was turned against her will and now she has to drink blood to survive. Before she can ask how her “life” can get any worse, she’s in a plane crash. One of the few survivors, Quinn is desperate to get the mortal pilot to safety before her fellow immortals succumb to their blood lust and drain Jet dry.
But hungry vampires are the least of their worries—the crash wasn’t an accident, and someone is trying to kill Quinn. Will she and Jet find their happily ever after as life mates, or will her assassin find her first?
It’s been a while since I’ve read a book that I enjoyed from beginning to end and I’m happy to share that Mile High with a Vampire delivered a quality read from the very first pages. It starts with a plane crash, a race for survival, a close call and a revelation that the crash was intentional. That’s just in the beginning chapters, the rest of the plot is figuring out who is trying to kill one of the passengers and why, especially when they’ve done nothing wrong to anyone. Who would do something so foul that they’d be willing to murder everyone on the plane, not just their target? The suspense, the interesting interplay between characters and the well-written plot kept me glued to the story. I didn’t stop turning the pages until I finished the epilogue. Ms. Sands has delivered another winner for fans to enjoy.
It took me a while to remember that Quinn was Pet’s sister in the book, The Trouble with Vampires. That’s when I first learned about their horrific background when they were little kids. This novel, Mile High with a Vampire, completes the story of the two sisters. Quinn finally gets her happy ever after, but of course, she has a bunch of hoops to jump through to get it. She has finally accepted the fact that she needs therapy to deal with what her husband had done to her and their son, what she’s become and to heal enough to start living again. However, therapy ends up giving her a lot more to deal with than she expected. Which of course is the point. The villains who traumatized both Quinn and Pet all those years ago are back in the picture.
Now, the villains are not what I expected. Ms. Sands wrote a scene describing what happened to one of the villains from back in the past and I have to tell you, it’s freakishly horrifying. I actually felt really bad for the guy because it was over the top violent. You may wonder how that past event effects the present and it’s a good question. It’s one of the surprises that impressed me in this book. I would never have guessed it. It helped make the climactic fight scene more meaningful. I know this probably doesn’t make a lot of sense but once you read the book and get to that part, you’ll understand. I didn’t expect to feel any empathy but I kind of did. Don’t get me wrong – a bad guy is still a bad guy – and comeuppance is meted out, but Quinn and Petronella (Pet) weren’t the only ones affected by the past and that’s all I’m going to say.
Now, to get to the good stuff. The romance between Quinn and Jet. It works, it’s great, I thought they were wonderful together, and I liked both their personalities. I thought Jet was a studly hero but it turned out he’s a smart cookie. He’s not just a pretty face. Quinn is adorable. I liked a lot of her internal dialogue and the insight it provides gives a reader a reason to want her to be happy – and that she would choose Jet when she finally was ready.
Their physical chemistry is of course off the charts. Life mates are always hot and bothered for each other. Readers will get plenty of examples of just how ‘hot’ it gets. Fortunately, the book has just enough of those scenes to satisfy readers who like the nitty gritty details, but for readers who are looking for a solid plot conflict, dialogue, action, intelligence with great storytelling and pacing, this story delivers.
I would be remiss if I didn’t give a hearty shout out to Lucien, Margarite, Sam, Tybo and so many others in the Argeneau and Notte families that came to help Quinn and Jet survive so they could enjoy their happily ever after. I adore that whole family dynamic and how they all come together to party when things are good, and when things get hairy, they band together to defend and fight for the ones they love when there’s trouble. I believe this is the 33rd book in the series – so that’s a lot of family ties to keep track of. Oh, it might be naughty of me, but I actually snickered when Lucien accidently gets … well, I’m not going to actually tell you what happens… Fans of the series will more than likely understand why I found that scene humorous and why I giggled. Since I didn’t expect that to happen, I’m not going to ruin the fun and surprise by letting the cat out of the bag. You’ll have to read the book to find out what happens.
On the whole, Mile High with a Vampire is a sure bet. It’s a fun and exciting adventure. I had a great time watching Quinn and Jet fall in love and you can be sure that I am adding this novel to my very large book pile of keepers. Many of Ms. Sands’ books have made it to my re-read list so many times, I’ve lot count. I’m thrilled with everything about this story and I heartily recommend it to paranormal romance fans in general, and to Ms. Sands’ fans specifically. It’s a great addition to the series and one not to miss.
