The Heart of Darkness Club by Gary Reilly

This review is part of The Heart of Darkness Book Tour

The Heart of Darkness Club by Gary Reilly is part of the Asphalt Warrior series, the third book of the series. Featuring a cab driver named Brendan Murphy, who tries to live life as minimalistic as possible, which includes not getting involved with his fares. That all changes when he picks up Trowbridge, a “mover” – the type with all their worldly possessions at their feet as they have to leave whatever tragedy that just befell them and made them move.

The Heart of Darkness Club sucked me in from page one. I loved Murph’s dry sense of humor – I would have loved to have him as my cab driver! I guess you’d need that to be a cab driver though. Unfortunately, something happened with my copy and I couldn’t read past the beginning of Murph’s strange journey. It became unreadable after that, but I think that had more to do with my computer and copy than the book itself. Figures it always happens right when the book gets good too!

I give The Heart of Darkness Club three and a half out of five stars. This is just based on the parts that I could read, I suspect a downloading issue is to blame for the rest.

The Heart of Darkness Club is out on May 28th.

Need to Catch Up?

The Asphalt Warrior (Kindle) Book 1

Ticket to Hollywood (Asphalt Warrior Series) (Kindle) Book 2

*I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher for review purposes. My opinions are my own.

The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abe

The Sweetest Dark by Shana Abe follows the story of young Lora Jones, a young orphan in London in 1915. Lora is different from everyone else in the orphanage; she hears songs from gemstones and has this voice inside her that is apart from her. When mentioned, this gets her treated as a mental patient, not helped by the fact that she jumped out of a window – and somehow miraculously survives. During the bombing of London, she receives a charity scholarship to Iverson, and is determined to be normal…but things turn out very differently for her.

The Sweetest Dark was a fun read, with many twists and turns. Although it had the typical young adult love triangle, it was done in a rather interesting way. The settings of The Sweetest Dark were very well thought out, giving plenty of detail to ensure that I was really feeling where Lora was at any given moment…and what she was going through. Plus it has dragons, who don’t love dragons?

I give The Sweetest Dark four out of five stars. Very well written, reminding me slightly of a Mercedes Lackey book.

*I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher for review purposes. My opinions are my own.

Girl in the Water by Nancy Kilgore

Girl in the Water: A True Story of Sibling Abuse by Nancy Kilgore is a memoir about sibling abuse. From normal sibling rivalry to incest to downright torture, this book spans them all. Breaking her silence at last, Nancy lays it all out there, in hopes that other victims of sibling abuse will find some validation and hope in her story.

Warning: Girl in the Water: A True Story of Sibling Abuse may be triggering due to its fairly graphic nature.

I really wasn't sure what to expect when I read Girl in the Water: A True Story of Sibling Abuse , but this story really opened my eyes to a well-hidden horror going on. The only parts I didn't particularly care for were the in between stories that I assume were an adult Nancy visualizing her child self. It broke the flow of the story for me, and threw me right back into reality. Yet I could see the point of those breaks as showing not only how Nancy felt, but also to give the reader a chance to take a breath.

I give Girl in the Water: A True Story of Sibling Abuse four out of five stars. One amazing story of a young girl’s survival against those family members that should love and protect you. A perfect book for those who enjoyed A Child Called It: One Child's Courage to Survive , though it speaks upon a different sort of abuse.

*I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher for review purposes. My opinions are my own.

Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren

Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren is the erotic story of Chloe Mills and her boss Bennett Ryan. Chloe absolutely despises Bennett, even though she finds him attractive – when he keeps his mouth shut. And Bennett hates her just as much, though he wants her just as much if not more than he hates her. They are both very much alike, and things really heat up between them.

Beautiful Bastard is an amazing erotic romance. I love the fact that it really explores things without getting into vulgar territory. It sucks you into the story, into the dynamic relationship between Chloe and Bennett, and refuses to let go until the very end.

I give Beautiful Bastard four and a half out of five stars. Amazing chemistry!

*I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher for review purposes. My opinions are my own.

A Christmas Surprise by Janelle Taylor

A Christmas Surprise by Janelle Taylor is the story of what happens after Betsy Reed finds out she’s pregnant right before a romantic Christmas get-away with her beloved husband, Tommy. She’s absolutely convinced that the lab tests were wrong, that her file was switched or it was all a mix-up so she keeps it a secret from Tommy, who knows she’s hiding something.

A Christmas Surprise has a few more layers than that, with a health scare prior and trauma due to seeing a very close relative actually die in childbirth. There is plenty of love and romance between Betsy and Tommy, with lots of acceptance as well.

I give A Christmas Surprise three out of five stars. An entertaining story, but without a lot of meat on it’s bones.

 

*I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher for review purposes. My opinions are my own.

The Ambassador's Daughter by Pam Jenoff

The Ambassador's Daughter by Pam Jenoff is the story of Margot, a young German girl who lives and travels with her father, a man who is forced into becoming a diplomat by his brother-in-law during the peace conference of World War I. He was to be a German voice at the table that was not part of the German official group. They are the enemy, constantly suspect, even though Margot’s father was academic and not part of the war. Margot runs into many adventures when she and her father move to France.

The Ambassador's Daughter is epic! Margot is a highly likeable character trying to make her way in a new world, all while trying to figure out who she can trust, and what she is going to do with her life. Torn between her duty to her father, her fiancé Stefan, her new love Georg and the multitudes of new friends she makes…plus her own feelings of right and wrong, Margot will stick in your head. Even though the setting is not one most of us know, her feelings and decisions are things anyone can relate to on some level.

I give The Ambassador's Daughter five out of five stars. This book really takes you on an adventure and won’t let go, leaving you guessing until the very end.

 

*I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher for review purposes. My opinions are my own.

The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey) by Julie Kagawa is the story of young Ethan Chase, who can see fairy folk. The fey are referred to as Them throughout the story. If you can see Them, there is no end to the trouble they can cause you. Ethan lost his older half-sister to Them, as she was destined to be the Iron Queen. The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey) is part of the Iron Fey Series and continues the adventures of the Nevernever. Ethan wouldn’t have re-entered the Nevernever for anything, until he and several other people are attacked by a before unseen fairy folk.

The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey) was an interesting enough book; I would most definitely read the rest of the series. There were points where things dragged here and there, especially in the beginning. Once Ethan gets really caught up in the trouble though, the book really picks up. Part of the drag I think was the necessary backstory, which can be difficult to do well in first person POV. The ending was rather abrupt as well, which makes me think there may be a follow up novel in the works.

I give The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey) three and a half stars out of five. A very enjoyable book, though Ethan can be a bit whiny and long-winded.

 


*I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher for review purposes. My opinions are my own.

Just One Night Part 1 by Kyra Davis

Just One Night, Part 1: The Stranger by Kyra Davis is part one. It’s the steamy book about Kasie Fitzgerald who has a one night stand in Vegas. But that’s not where the story ends, it’s just the beginning. Kasie is a good girl who gets dragged away by her best friend Simone to Vegas as a sort of prenuptial bash. She is semi-engaged to her long term, comfortable boyfriend Dave, who appreciates just how much of a good girl she is. Then she meets Mr. Dade, and all hell breaks loose.

Just One Night, Part 1: The Stranger starts off strong and keeps the pace going throughout the entire story. This is one story that will keep you guessing as to what happens next. It’s captivating watching Kasie go from who she used to be to a more multi-dimensional person. Though I was not expecting such a cliffhanger ending! I almost threw my Kindle across the room, but that would have been very bad.

I give Just One Night, Part 1: The Stranger four and a half stars out of five. There were some minor formatting issues, but since this was an ARC I’m not knocking any points off for that, plus it was easily read even with the minor issues.

*I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher for review purposes. My opinions are my own.

Scent Of Magic by Maria V. Snyder

Scent of Magic (The Healers) by Maria V. Snyder is the story of people in a war ravaged world, following the two main characters, Avry and Kerrick. They live in a world full of magic; Avry is a healer who came back from the dead after the plague that decimated the fifteen realms, while Kerrick is a forest mage who can sense ‘intruders’ in the forest among other things.  They are fighting against Tohon, a life mage who wants to rule the world under the guise of reuniting the realms. This is the second book of the Healers series.

Scent of Magic (The Healers) is a wonderful story, though I did have a bit of trouble keeping up with when it was Avry’s turn or when it was Kerrick’s part of the story, as there were no definitive breaks between character POV changes. At times it was so seamless it confused me as to where each character was. There were a number of flashbacks to explain some of the events and various relationships, all were very well done and as a part of the story. The ending came way too fast!

I give Scent of Magic (The Healers)  four out of five stars. The characters were well developed, as was the story line. A great read.

*I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher for review purposes. My opinions are my own.