Siegfried Vol 1

Normally I love Graphic Novels but I just couldn't get into this one. I've tried several times to read this and it just isn't getting any better for me.

The artwork is fantastic with a brilliant array of colours and shades but that's the only thing I did like. And that's a difficult thing for me to say as I love to read.

Dresden Files: Fool Moon Vol 2

This is the second part of the graphic novel, Fool Moon. Although it's a different medium for the story, it loses nothing in its telling. In fact, it's enhanced by the brilliant artwork. As usual Harry is up to his neck in trouble and has to save not only his own arse but quite a few others, including Gentleman Johnny Marcone. That must really stick in the throat.

I would recommend any of the Dresden Files in either book or graphic novel medium to anyone interested in reading an urban fantasy.

I received this book free from the publisher with the intent to review but this has in no way influenced my review.

Lover Enshrined by J.R. Ward

This was another in the series that I wasn't as thrilled about. Don't get me wrong, I like Phury and was glad that the series had moved on to his story but damn, it didn't half drag on, or seemed to as this was one of the shorter books.

I think it seemed to take longer because there was too much being put into it. We have the situation with John and co, we've got Rhev and the blackmail, we've got Lash and the Omega, all the drama about Phury's drug problem, being the Primale and his dealings with the Chosen and it just seemed too much for the book.

I really hope book 7 is better.

Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward

Glad to say this series is back on track. Vishous finds his mate, his mother and gets his visions back, well not all at the same time and not without some trauma in between.

First he's told who his mother is and how he came into being (such a terrible childhood and pretrans period), what a total bastard his father his, then he gets told what his destiny is. To become the Primale and basically be nothing more than a stallion at stud, his role to get the Chosen pregnant.

Whilst out hunting for lessers, he gets shot and ends up in a human hospital. There he meets Jane, who is a surgeon and he realises that she's his mate. When the Brotherhood arrive and take him back home, he insists the Brothers take her too.

Over four days, as he heals and she also works on Phury, who got jumped by lessers, they fall in love. V finds himself not wanting to wipe her memory but knows he's going to have to do it.

Whilst all this is going on John finally hits his transition but still has problems coping emotionally, luckily Z is there for him as he understands what he's gone through.

We meet Cormia who has been chosen to be the Primales first Chosen, but she's terrified about what will happen as she has never seen a male before.

After quite a roller coaster of a story were Phury agrees to take V's place as Primale, V goes to Janes and undoes the wipe. She agrees to bond with him, but when she runs outside with his coat late one night, she gets shot by a lesser and dies.

V is devastated and tries to resurrect her but his mother (the Scribe Virgin) steps in and stops him. As a way of making up for all the bad things that had happened to V at the hands of his father, she makes a sacrifice of her own and brings Jane back as a ghost, but she will be solid if V is touching her.

We also see what a nasty bitch the Directrix is, scaring Cormia with what would happen to her when she was with the Primale, threatening Layla when she tried to calm Cormia and the icing on the cake, she's the one who shot V. Phury found out after he took up the Primale mantle and dealt with her accordingly.

Next stop book 6. :-)

Lover Revealed by JR Ward

What to say about this book, well for one thing, it wasn't my favourite, another was it seemed to take a long time to get going.

All the "I'm not worthy, I'm not good enough" from both Butch and Marissa was frustrating. When they finally get sorted and then for her to try laying down the law made her no better than her brother.

I like the way things are between Butch and V, I was so upset when V realised that Butch was his best friend and that he also had feelings for him. I thought it was written with great care.

I had already worked out what was going on with the Scribe Virgin and the Omega and I've a good idea as to what's going to happen with them later in the series.

I'm hoping book 5 gets back on track.

Lover Awakened by JR Ward

I thoroughly enjoyed this book in the series, I was all over the place emotionally with what happened to Zhadist ,what he was going through and putting everyone around him through.

I liked the fact that the story didn't gloss over Bella's time with the lesser or hide the emotional damage and what she needed after to feel safe. I wanted to slap Z silly (yes, I know he's just a character who lives in books) for his responses to her and his twin.

I can honestly say I cried at what happened to Wellsie, (I know it's a sad bit but I'm also clinically depressed). And poor John, how frustrating to not have a voice at all.

I wasn't surprised to find out that Rhev turned out to be who he was, there's a few things that are going on that I thought might happen but that's not a bad thing. I still found the writing to be all over the place, one persons POV, then another persons.

I can honestly say I'm a Black Dagger fan for life now,

Lover Eternal by JR Ward

I couldn't wait to read this book, I enjoyed the first so much and I wasn't disappointed.

We get more of the Brothers and in particular Rhage's story. We find out about his curse, the beast within and his attempts to stay balanced and even. Not always successful. We get a small peek at Zsadist too.

When Rhage meets and falls in love with Mary, he has to learn a new way to accept his beast and all without hurting her, all the more heartbreaking when he finds out she's dying.
How they both cope with her illness and his beast is well written and very touching.

Onto book 3 and Zsadist's story, so glad my friend recommended and sent me this series.

The Killing Floor by Lee Child

I really enjoyed this book, my only problem was the little voice in my head telling me "there's no way Tom Cruise can pull this off". I just can't get the image from the movie trailer of him out of my head. Aside from that, what's not to love. A great big story with lots of twists, a loner in a small town who gets picked up because he looks like a suspect.

It put me in mind of some westerns I used to read when I was younger. There was the lone cowboy, ex-soldier, who rode into town and after a few fights, a few love scenes and offing the bad guy rode off into the sunset.

I'm definitely going to carry on with this series. I'll just have to train my brain to picture some other actor as Jack Reacher. Maybe Dave Batista from WWE. He's definitely the right size and certainly easy on the eyes, unlike Tom Cruise who's just too small for the part.

JR Ward's Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood)

I read this book after a suggestion from a friend. I loved the story and found the characters to be very engaging, I wasn't overly charmed with the guy's names but there again, calling a Vampire Norman or Ralph wouldn't sound right either.

I liked the idea of the Omega and the Scribe Virgin, (I have my own theory about those two but I'm keeping it to myself). The fact that the vampires are the good guys, wear leather and like rap and hip/hop made me smile.

At first I thought Beth was going to be one of those leading ladies who needs to be rescued all the time and is very much a wuss but I'm glad she's not. She may start out needing to be protected but soon shows she's more than capable of rolling with the punches.

The only thing I didn't like was the way the story switched from one persons view point to another. I had to go back a couple of times to re-read a paragraph or two to get back on track, especially during the action scenes.

On to book two, hope its as good as the first one.

Hammer of Angels by G.T. Almasi

I found this to be an action packed, past paced story. It certainly didn't slow down much at all. I would just like to say that even though I haven't read the first book in this series, it's not necessary to follow what's going on. We continue to follow the story of Alix/Scarlet, a Level (super spy) from America as she deals with the fall-out from Blades of Winter.
Scarlet is an enhanced Level, which means her body has had some modifications to it, she's got an artificial right hand, her skeleton has been encased in a type of metal so she's practically indestructable. She's got an eyes-up system in her head which enables her to swap from normal vision through a variety of different spectrums. She can use infra-red to see body heat, she's got a locking display that enables her to acquire target lock when she uses her gun, Lil' Bertha which is partially sentient. She has an in-built med system that allows her to send doses of different drugs as and when she needs them, Madrenaline just before a fight or mission, Kalmers to stop the hallucinations brought on by her last mission. She lives in a world where Germany won WWII, Britain and most of Europe are part of Greater Germany and the Germans now advocate Slavery. There are 4 Super Powers, USA, China, Russia and Greater Germany, all with their own Levels.
In this book we follow Scarlet as she copes with a new partner who is the spitting image of her last partner and lover, Trick, who was killed in the book Blades of Winter. As she is sent on a new mission to start a slave rebellion in London and other areas of Europe, we see how fragile her mind really is, still, due to her previous experience. Working with Brando, her new partner and other Level's to get the rebellion going and then onto another mission to get her father back from the Germans.
In this world we also have to deal with clone's, one of which is her new partner and also her old one , and their other brother. No-one knows about their status apart from Scarlet, her boss and themselves. Whilst on their mission, they come under attack and just when she thinks her number is up, a sniper takes out the enemy. When they finally catch him, as there is no other Level's in their area, she is shocked to see her fathers face. The young man is a clone, made in a secret lab by a high-level member of congress. He was made with her fathers DNA, which had been stolen from a secure area, along with the equipment necessary.
This story flows along at a rapid place and just when you think she's going to catch a break, something else happens to get them on a roll again.
I'm definitely getting Blades of Winter so I can see how this story began and I will definitely be getting the third book when it's released. I would give this 5/5 and recommend it to anyone who likes fast, action packed spy thrillers.