[Reveiw] The Collector by Victoria Scott

The Collector
Book One in the Dante Walker Series
Victoria Scott
April 2, 2013
Entangled Publishing                                                         

Amazon/Book Depository/B&N

Dante Walker is flippin' awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence has made him one of Hell's best a soul collector. His job is simple, weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag. Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante's an equal opportunity collector and doesn't want it any other way. But he'll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment: Collect Charlie Cooper's soul within 10 days. Dante doesn't know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that's a permanent ticket out of Hell. But after Dante meets the quirky, Nerd Alert chick he's come to collect he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector, and uncover emotions long ago buried.

I just finished The Collector by Victoria Scott and the two words that sum up my feelings about this book are: totally amazing.  I picked up this book up and read it in three days and I would have read it in one sitting but I never wanted it to end so I tried to savor it.  Now that I finished The Collector I have to admit I have new fictional crush and his name is Dante Walker.

Dante Walker is a demon and a soul collector.  He is also arrogant, self centered, and well your typical demon.  There is just something about a sexy, cocky bad boy that just draws you in, am I right ladies?  So when he gets a new assignment to collect the soul of a girl named Charlie he thinks this job will be just like any other.  Wrong, Charlie sees something in Dante that no one has seen him in a long time and he even forgot he had: his heart.  Charlie touches a part of him that was long forgotten with goodness and a pure soul.  Like Dante, Charlie has seen tragedy and yet she is not full of bitterness and hate.  Dante starts to change and let go of his inner demons and become a better person er demon.

I liked this book a lot because it was a quick read and was full of not only action but emotion as well.  I liked watching Dante grow and become something more.  Someone that would lay down his life for the ones he loved instead of being selfish and shallow.  I liked that he was able to see past outside beauty and recognize the beauty of a person's soul.  In the end he is still Dante so there will always be some of that cocky bad boy in him and that is what I liked most of all growing and changing but still retaining who you are.  All the while The Collector had my emotions on a roller coaster ride while reading.  One minute I would love Dante, the next I wanted to shake some sense into him and the next I was on the edge of my seat cheering him on.  I highly recommend The Collector and give it four laser pistols because it is totally out of this world.  The Collector in my opinion had it all:  swoonie romance, thrilling action, scenes that brought a tear to my eye, but the best thing of all completely hot and awesome Dante Walker.  I can't wait to read the read the next book in the series The Liberator.  It comes out in August of 2013 and I will be checking more books by Victoria Scott in the future. 

[ARC Review] Highlander Most Wanted by Maya Banks

 Highlander Most Wanted
The Montgomerys and Armstrongs #2
Maya Banks
March 19th 2013
Ballantine Books
352 pages

Arc was provided via Netgalley.

Amazon/Book Depository/B&N

 In Highlander Most Wanted, a reclusive woman content to live in the shadows shows a Highland warrior the true meaning of love.
 
Genevieve McInnes is locked behind the fortified walls of McHugh Keep, captive of a cruel laird who takes great pleasure in ruining her for any other man. Yet when Bowen Montgomery storms the gates on a mission of clan warfare, Genevieve finds that her spirit is bent but not broken. Still, her path toward freedom remains uncertain. Unable to bear the shame of returning to a family that believes her dead or to abandon others at the keep to an imposing new laird, Genevieve opts for the peaceful life of an abbess. But Bowen’s rugged sensuality stirs something deep inside her that longs to be awakened by his patient, gentle caress—something warm, wicked, and tempting.

Bowen seizes his enemy’s keep, unprepared for the brooding and reclusive woman who captures his heart. He’s enchanted by her fierce determination, her unusual beauty, and her quiet, unfailing strength. But wooing her will take more than a seasoned seducer’s skill. For loving Genevieve, he discovers, means giving her back the freedom that was stolen from her—even if it means losing her forever.

I wasn't going to read this book for awhile, as I'd just finished Never Seduce a Scot. Someone on Goodreads kept adding updates that kept raising my interest. I couldn't resist. Maya Banks writes some of the best highlander romance I've read. Especially this series.

The heroines in this series are top notch. No simpering lasses here. Eveline was full of fire despite her disability. Genevieve tops that, and continues to rocket into the stratosphere. She is scarred in more ways than one, and most of the book is spent overcoming them.

I felt for Genevieve, for all she endured and continued to endure at the hands of the McHugh clan. Bowen Montgomery, painted as a ladies man, falls for her hard. He shows great restraint and respect for Genevieve. The usual trope of the brash warrior is thrown on it's head. Sure, he snaps a guy's neck at one point, but overall he's a big muscle-y teddy bear.

Throw the usual romance novel formula out the window. The secrets are there from the beginning. There's no halfway sex scene, barely any titillation. The characters are so compelling that I didn't even care. There's not a lot of colorful prose about pleasure and genitals until almost the end of the book. By that point, I was a blubbering mess.

This book was by far my favorite of Maya Banks. The characters were larger than life. The plot was compelling and the love scenes were tender and compassionate. 

I can't wait to see what the next book will entail. It's supposed to be about Taliesan, who was introduced in this book, and I honestly was hoping it'd be about her. Super excited to get my hands on that!

[Audiobook Review] The Man with the Golden Torc by Simon R. Green

The Man with the Golden Torc
Secret Histories Book 1
Simon R. Green
June 3, 2008
Penguin Group (USA)

Amazon/Book Depository/B&N

Meet Shaman Bond, aka Eddie Drood, scion of the ancient Drood family. He is devoted to protecting humanity from the forces of darkness. Protected by the secret weapon received at birth by all members of the Drood family - a magical gold torc (i.e., a neck ring) that turns into a suit of nearly impervious golden armor - Eddie faces arcane dangers with healthy doses of wry self-confidence and sarcasm. Then the family matriarch sends him on a mission that turns out to be a deadly setup. Declared a rogue, Eddie teams up with short-tempered witch Molly Metcalf to find out why he's been betrayed. 

As a fan of Simon R. Green's other series, The Nightside, I started this novel with some big expectations. I'm happy to report I was not disappointed.

First off, while this series is not a part of the Nightside, it does parallel it. Some minor characters and references link the worlds together. But while the Nightside is a place outside of the normal world, the ancient Drood family acts only in the every day world. Now that's not to say there's not plenty of strangeness is our world. Because there is more than enough to go around.

As Eddie seeks to clear his name and get to who or what is behind it all he finds the truth about his family, and the terrible price they have paid through the centuries for the powers they wield. Can he live with what he finds out, or does he make those behind everything pay for their atrocities? Well, that's something you're going to have to read the book to find out, I hate giving spoilers.

I will say if you like the witty interplay between characters from the Nightside series, then you'll love it just as much here. The snappy one liners from all sides really left me laughing more than once.

The narrator, Stuart Blinder, does a decent job at the different voices, and the accents are done well too. I found myself cheering for the heroes and booing the villains.

This novel gets a solid 4 laser pistols as its out of this world. I would recommend this book to any fan of paranormal fiction.

[Review] Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Texas Gothic

Rosemary Clement-Moore
July 12, 2011
Delacorte Books for Young Readers                                                         

Amazon/Book Depository/B&N

Amy Goodnight's family is far from normal. She comes from a line of witches, but tries her best to stay far outside the family business. Her summer gig? Ranch-sitting for her aunt with her wacky but beautiful sister. Only the Goodnight Ranch is even less normal than it normally is. Bodies are being discovered, a ghost is on the prowl, and everywhere she turns, the hot neighbor cowboy is in her face. "From the Hardcover edition."

First off let me say that my interest in this book was spiked because I attended an event with Rosemary Clement-Moore and hearing her talk about her book Texas Gothic I knew this was a book I would have to go to the library or book store and get.  This book takes place on a ranch on in south Texas and I love books that place in Texas being a Texas girl myself.  Then this book has everything I need in a good book: romance with cute cowboys, mystery, spooky ghosts, and not to mention calamities in every other chapter.

I am glad I bought this book because I was not disappointed and finished reading it in a matter of days.  Texas Gothic is a quick fast paced and just plain fun kind of read.  The book is about Amy Goodnight who somehow gets talked in to ranch sitting for her Aunt with her scatterbrained sister.  Amy is the responsible one in a family full of witches.  She believes in magic but is too sensible to use it herself.  When she hears rumors of a ghost at the neighboring ranch and then skeletons turn up.  Amy finds herself neck deep in the mystery of the "Mad Monk."  With the the help of her sister, a motley crew of students from the university and the cute but cranky boy who runs the neighboring ranch, Amy starts piecing together the clues. 

I know the plot sounds cheesy like a cross between Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. It doesn't help when Amy finds herself in one scrape after another some hilarious and some not so hilarious.   But, trust me this book is really good.  I liked how Ms. Clement-Moore added Nancy Drew jokes into the book because even the characters could see the cheesiness of the mystery.  I liked how the mystery was tied up at the end and no there weren't any lines "I would have got away with it too if it weren't for you meddling kids."  While there was a real ghost haunting Amy there were also real humans committing crimes.  I never suspected the real criminals.  I love a good mystery that can keep me guessing and is also spooky at the same time.

I also liked how Amy grew in this book and was able to accept the magical part of herself and come to terms with that side of her family.  Texas Gothic is not only a book about discoveries of a criminal kind but also of a personal kind as Amy and her cute cowboy Ben both had to accept that is not their responsibility to take care of their whole families and just be teenagers for a while.  I give Texas Gothic four laser pistols because it was out of this world.  I will most definitely be checking out the next book in the Goodnight Family series called Spirit and Dust that comes in May.  It will feature Amy's cousin Daisy who is a physic. 

[Animorphs Reread] The Invasion by K. A. Applegate

The Invasion
Animorphs #1
K. A. Applegate
June 1st, 1996
Scholastic Paperbacks
184 pages

Amazon

Sometimes weird things happen to people. Ask Jake. He may tell you about the night he and his friends saw the strange light in the sky. He may even tell you about what happened when they realized the "light" was only a plane -- from another planet. Here's where Jake's story gets a little weird. It's where they're told that the human race is under attack -- and given the chance to fight back.

Now Jake, Rachel, Cassie, Tobias, and Marco have the power to morph into any animal they choose. And they must use that power to outsmart an evil that is greater than anything the world has ever seen..

I totally dropped the ball on this. I had such a busy weekend and I fell into cleaning that I just didn't get around to posting this yesterday. Whoops.

This is the first of the Animorphs books, it introduces the main characters, their quirks, their aspirations, their tragic back-stories. They receive their powers and decide ultimately that they're going to attempt the save the world.

I don't know what to say about this book. I originally picked it up when I was twelve. Hanging out at the mall was a thing back then, that people did regularly. The arcade at the mall was always packed. This book spoke to me as a pre-teen, it knew me. I would peruse Waldenbooks every time I went to the mall, waiting to see that the next book had come out.

I don't have the re-release, but did they change any of this? The basis for the whole plot? They couldn't possibly have Jake playing videogames on his Xbox with Marco at another house. The culture that thrived in Mallrats and Clueless just does not exist any more.


Granted, there are a lot of things in this book that are somewhat ridiculous. More ridiculous than the plot. Why would they talk in great danger? Also, if the Andalite could hear them, and answer all their questions, why were they not captured IMMEDIATELY. If the Andalite was just going to pontificate information to begin with, they could have just shut up the whole time.

Despite this shaky start, that the nostalgia part of my brain still adored, there's something endearing about Animorphs. By the end of their book, after botching an infiltration, they realize that they're not superheroes after all. The job still falls on them, but their sense of invincibility is shattered. It is reflected in later books, as they attempt to save the world little by little with less exorbitant missions.

It might not have been as great as I remember, but it was still really fun.

[Audiobook Review] Splintered by A. G. Howard

Splintered

A. G. Howard
January 1, 2013
Amulet Books

Amazon/Book Depository/B&N

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

What if wonderland is real and everything we know about Alice's adventures are based on fact? That is what Alyssa Discovers and finds herself in an adventure of a lifetime, and torn between two sexy men.

Alyssa can hear plants and bugs, they speak to her and tell her things. She is scared she will end up jsut like her mom, in a psych ward, so she ignores them. Then something tries to hurt her mom, so Alyssa follows the clues and discovers another world called the Neatherworld. A magical world full of otherworldly creatures. She follows the lead of her imaginary childhood friend into the looking glass.

I liked this book as an alternate version on the Alice in Wonderland. Splintered was full of magic and wonder. The book flowed well as I followed Alyssa into Wonderland. I like the imagery and the world building of Wonderland. It still felt like Lewis Carol's Wonderland, but after Tim Burton had gotten a hold of it. There were moments in the book where I stopped and just listened on the edge of my seat as I cheered for the heroine. There were moments that were scarey, some heart breaking, and some that were very sexy. I know I have said this before in other reviews, but there is nothing better than a book that puts your emotions on a roller coaster.

The only think that kept this book from a five and brought it down to a four was the love triangle aspect. The feeling that I get is that as the story delves deeper and there are more books in the series Alyssa will have to choose a permanent home and the boy that goes with it. I think sexy bad boys like Morpheus and safe stable boys like Jeb are nothing new. The fact the stable boy represents her human life and Morpheus with his secrets and wings represents Wonderland. It was kind of trite. The boys are hot and I like the romance.

In conclusion, I really liked Splintered by A. G. Howard and it was a very good listen. I thought Rebecca Eibel did a great job of narration. She helped the characters come to life with all the different voices. I loved how she voiced the saucy green pixies. I recommend Splintered to fans of Wonderland and even if you're not because A.G. Howard's Wonderland will enrapture. I know it enraptured me and wrapped me so tight in the magic that I almost felt I was lost in Wonderland. I give Splintered the audiobook four very solid laser pistols and I am looking forward to more adventures.

[News] Facebook page and endeavors

Hey everyone. I've been busy setting up our blogs internet presence. One step at a time, there's still so much to do!

Anyway, Romancing the Laser Pistol now has a fully functioning Facebook page. Head on over and like it!

In the same vein, I have also registered us with Networked blogs. You can see the joining box in the sidebar.

If you could, please take some time to add us.

In other news, I am planning to start a True Blood rewatch. There are 78 days until the new season and 60 episodes. You should be able to see where I'm going with this. I'll have more information and a schedule up on Tuesday.

I am also in the midst of planning a Seanan McGuire read along. I've been meaning for way too long to read her October Daye series. There is also the new Incryptid series that looks awesome and the Newsflesh series she writes under her pen name. Depending on how long it takes, we can probably include Parasite in there as well. I'm not sure how many chapters/pages a week I'll want to cover yet. I'll keep you all updated.