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11/30/2016

Waiting On Wednesday #29 – The Ends Of The World by Maggie Hall


is a weekly event hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine. This meme is a place that spotlights upcoming releases that we´re eagerly anticipating with pure joy. The first two books of this trilogy I wanted because I fell in love with the cover. Later, when I read them, I fell in love with the story as well. So when I got a personal message from Maggie Hall on Instagram, where she responded to a question I had asked, and heard, that in 2017 would come out another book in this series, I was happy and couldn´t wait to see the cover.

To be honest, I am not very thrilled about it. I can´t really name it, but I am missing here something. Something the other two had. Maybe it is a different perspective. I am not looking from above and from a certain distance onto the main figure. And her hairstyle has changed. But well, as long as I can read it, and hopefully like the story, the cover is something I can ignore *smile*




The Ends Of The World
Author Maggie Hall
The Conspiracy Of Us Trilogy #3
Publishing Date July 19, 2017
Publisher G.P. Putnam´s Sons Books For Young Readers
Format Hardcover
Goodreads

The Circle of Twelve is not who Avery thought they were. Neither is Avery. Her mother is dead. Betrayal and attraction and history tangled the strings that bind her, Jack, and Stellan. And now, Avery and her friends must put aside their own problems and focus on putting a stop to the most dangerous conspiracy of all … From London to Russia to Egypt, from the chill of underground crypts to the flash of paparazzi cameras, Avery West will finally have to confront whether her fate means salvation – or destruction.


And what are you waiting for? Let me know your thoughts about this one or leave me the link to your WoW and I check it out.


Happy reading & waiting on


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11/30/2016

Himmelstiefe by Daphne Unruh


Daphne Unruh is a German author who started this series originally as an eBook and as a self-publisher. It was the original cover with the white frame around the blue flowers that caught my eye and made me curious. So it is kind of sad, that Loewe changed that. If you like a very opulent writing style in combination with a bit of a dry tone and sometimes awkward to read a language, especially out of the mouth of a teenage girl, then this is definitely your book. If not, well, guess I don´t have to say more.


Himmelstiefe
by Daphne Unruh
Zauber Der Elemente #1
Published by Loewe on September 19, 2016
Genre Children 14+
Pages 495
Format Softcover
Source Publisher
Goodreads
✶✶✶½

Kira counts the last days of school. Soon she will be done! But then her life gets turned upside down: the new classmate Tim exerts an irresistible attraction on her and again she gets invested by fevers and eerie visions of dangerous shadow beings. Almost too late Kira recognizes that she has special powers and belongs into the magical world of the Academy of the Elements. Only there she is safe – so she thinks!
Story
Kira starts her last year in school. Her university-entrance diploma is about to happen and a lot of learning, stress, and other things come along with that. Her fevers are among those things and the fact, that she always has them when the new classmate is around, doesn´t make life easier for her. But when she has to learn, that something is really not okay with her and her parents do something to her she´d never would´ve expected them to do, she goes by instinct and finds a world so strange and well known at the same time. A world full of magic, danger, and power she´d never thought would exist.

Style
Himmelstiefe is written from Kira´s point of view and reads like she is sitting with you in a café and telling you what had happened till the present day. Daphne Unruh´s writing is a bit dull, she sometimes puts words into Kira´s mouth I´ve never heard from a real teenager and her fantasy is quite huge. The world where the Academy of the Elements is, is, on one hand, a beautiful and very attractive one, on the other a dangerous and kind of unrealistic place. Everything is more colorful and more intense. 

What kind of bothered me was the fact that the author gave throughout the ongoing plot her main figure not only a godlike look but from chapter to chapter she seemed to get one talent more than she had before. At some point, I felt that it was way too much for my taste. 

Characters
Delia, Kira´s mother started to annoy me right from the start. A former model, she does everything to keep her body safe and sound. Nothing against yogurt, but if that is all you are eating during the day, the week and the entire month, sorry, but that is not what I call a healthy “diet”. And she is so incredibly naïve. She measures the value of a human being by the amount of money he/she has on its account, she is blind when it comes to her surroundings and all that matters to her is when her next manicure appointment will be. Such a shallow person and a disaster as a mother. 

Kira, well Kira is something else. She kind of changes from the ugly dug to the beautiful swan. But it doesn´t stop at that, no. She starts with one talent, then another comes up and another and in the end, she is kind of a superwoman with incredible skills and the youngest person that ever made it into the council. For my taste, she was a bit too much of everything.


Conclusion
To be honest, the authors writing style is not really my thing. It is sad to say, but I was kind of happy when I was finished with it. Despite that, most parts of the story were quite entertaining and they were the reason why this novel got the stars I gave and could climb up to almost reading pleasure; at least in my eyes.



Happy reading
*This book was at the time of review only available in the German language. 

Daphne Unruh
Daphne Unruh ©Reyst





Daphne Unruh was born in Berlin and studied creative writing, art and script. Since then she illustrates books, shows her colorful Wimmelpictures in various exhibitions in Berlin and Brandenburg and invents fantastic stories. The idea for them she finds in Catlantis. That is a magical place in the real Märkischen Schweiz, where the author lives with her family and her red cat in a small house with a big green jungle garden.


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11/26/2016

Stacking The Shelves #32 - Bought, Borrowed & Bagged #16


Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga´s Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical stores or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course ebooks! I am also connecting with Bought Borrowed & Bagged in homage of Barron´s Books & Baubles from Karen Marie Moning´s smash hit series, Fever, hosted by Braine at Talk Supe.

Lots of books have arrived over the past week at my place. Some of them I can display, others I have to wait until next week. Don´t ask; the reason behind that is as stupid as needless …

For quite some time now I had the Shatter Me books on my wishlist. I LOVE those covers and for a few days, I am totally happy to call them my own now. The rough cut looks great, and the colors and motives they used on the cover are fantastic. And finally, I´ve got my own Playing with Fire by Tess Gerritsen. I already read it some weeks back when I found it at my library, but know I have it brand new on my shelf. And I just noticed that except for one author, they are all new to me.


Bought Books





Reviewer Copy


  



Happy reading

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11/26/2016

Crown Of Three by J. D. Rinehart


About two times a year I get asked what books I want to review that is published by a certain German publisher. Crown of Three was one of the books I picked. The cover, the colors, and the promise, this would be like Game of Thrones only for young children, convinced me. Well, it was a nice read, but I wasn´t blown away by it. No doubt, Crown of Three is a really wonderful read for kids, especially for those ones, who love long and detailed descriptions.


Crown Of Three*
by J. D. Rinehart
Crown Of Three Trilogy #1
Publisher Aladdin on June 2, 2015
Genre Fantasy
Pages 416
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher
Goodreads
✶✶✶½

Toronia, a kingdom composed of three realms, is wracked with civil war. King Brutan rules with an iron fist. Cruelty and suffering abound. The kingdom´s only hope comes in the form of Brutan´s illegitimate triplets, prophesied to kill the king and rule together in peace. But the road to the throne is long and bloody. Separated at birth and scattered throughout the realms, the triplets face a desperate fight to secure their destiny. Will they survive long enough to rule?
Story
Tarlan, Elodie, and Agulphus, the illegitimate triplets of king Brutan, were brought out of the kingdom right after they were born. To grow up far away from their brutal father and his deadly will. But they weren´t raised as wizard Melchior hoped. Instead, after thirteen years three completely different teenagers arrive back at the castle to fight for their destiny and to do what they were born to rule under the Crown of Three and to unite the kingdom.

Style
An invisible narrator tells the reader the fanciful story of three young children, who were born to bring peace to a kingdom torn apart by civil war. I have to admit, that J. D. Rinehart has a great fantasy and the characters and animals he created are really something. The only thing that I didn´t like was the fact, that there are some really brutal and cruel scenes in this novel. Call me whatever you want, but for a children’s book of that recommended age, this novel contains way too many, too bloody and too brutal scenes. In Crown of Three, you get to know a world where everything is about betrayal, intrigue, hunger for power, and death. Three rightful heirs to the throne - Tarlan, Elodie, and Gulph (an abbreviated version of Agulphus) grew up in completely different ways in totally different worlds. While Elodie grew up in wealth and very protected by her guardian her siblings weren´t so blessed. Gulph grew up in poverty, Tarlan in the solitude of the everlasting ice. And all that, what they experienced and learned during those years, they bring no into the fight for the throne. The novel is set up in various lines of action. Each of them shows the story of the three main figures and is written in an opulent and very tedious style. During some pages, things get a bit illogical and it is not easy to keep up with what happens. 

The plot is not unlike the series Game of Thrones except that in this book Thorrods – kind of huge birds – help the characters and not dragons. 

Characters
A murderous king, a mentally ill heir to the throne, an ice-cold embittered queen, various royal knights, and a royal mistress – that and a lot more are brought together in this novel. There is suffering, veneration, rage, condemnation, and sworn allegiance and some really stupid projects are being realized with threads and much violence. But the author doesn´t bother to show or describe you all those figures in long character descriptions. No, you only get to see them through their actions or how they behave.

Tarlan is a figure that gets noticed the most. And also presented in the most sympathetic and best way you can imagine. He is without any class conceit; loyalty and family cohesion are everything to him. His way of thinking is different from the way his companions act and think and that is what makes him stand out. Maybe because he loves to ride his Thorrods is the reason why he sees everything from a different perspective. He really flies above it.


Conclusion
In the end, I can say, yes, this is a nice to read children´s book. But for me, it doesn´t go over the average opinion. There are too many barbaric scenes in this book, something I find totally inappropriate in a children´s book for the recommended age of 10 years. So from my site only limited recommendable. 



Happy reading







J.D. Rinehart
Graham Edwards / J.D. Rinehart ©private





J. D. Rinehart is the pseudonym for author Graham Edwards. When he´s not writing, he can be found exploring castles, watching films, or hiking through the countryside with Sir Galahad, his pet Great Dane. He loves falconry, and once raised a young falcon he found abandoned. He lives in Nottinghamshire, England.


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11/25/2016

Helix – Sie Werden Uns Ersetzen by Marc Elsberg


The author is known for his reality-based plots where he mixes facts of all kinds with pure fiction. Sometimes it is really frightening about what could be possible and you have inevitable the question swirling around your mind if it couldn´t be already a reality. So what if there are already living children like Jill and Eugene among us? I had enjoyed another book by the author so much, that I knew when I got the letter about Helix, I had to read it. Lucky me, I won it for a special challenge at a forum and could jump into it. Nonetheless, this review expresses my honest and unbiased opinion.


Helix-Sie Werden Uns Ersetzen*
by Marc Elsberg
Publisher Blanvalet on October 31, 2016
Genre Thriller
Pages 646
Format Hardcover
Source Lovelybooks
Goodreads
✶✶✶½

The US Secretary of State dies at a State visit in Munich. During the autopsy a strange sign is found on his heart – caused by bacteria? In Brasil, Tanzania, and India, employees of an international chemical company discover crop plants and animals that can not be found. At the same time, Helen and Greg, a couple in their late thirties, who cannot produce children by natural means, turn to a children´s nursing clinic in California. The doctor gives them hope. He tells them about a – yet unofficial – private research program, which has already produced over a hundred special children. And do not Helen and Greg want to give their offspring the best prerequisites? But then one of these children disappears and everything points to a connection with strange events – not only in Munich but all over the world … (a personal translation of the blurb on the dust cover/German edition by © Vi at Inkvotary).
Story
Helen and Greg are trying to become children. Since they can´t get what they want the natural way, they find themselves one day at a clinic in California where they get an incredible offer. Jessica is on her way back to the US after she had to witness the sudden breakdown of the Secretary of State. And Jegor finds in Tanzania a cornfield that shouldn´t exist and starts to look for the reasons why it does. And Jill vanishes from the earth after she heard the disturbing news about the sudden death of the Secretary of State. All of them are connected in a strange way through a Doctor who is able to make his dream come true: stronger, healthier and smarter children.

Style
Helix-Sie werden uns ersetzen (in English it would be Helix-They will replace us) is told by an auctorial narrator and the reader is from the first line right in the middle of the plot. The Secretary of State lies unconscious on the ground and with his death, the US discover a virus that is beyond anything they ever imagined or thought could be possible.

The author builds a story in which facts and pure fiction are combined so easily that you can´t get rid of the feeling of what if something of this is already a reality? Or would it really be so frightening to have children like described in the story? At some point, I found myself in a weird situation. I couldn´t take some figures of the plot seriously anymore. The way they behaved, how they acted was something I couldn´t really understand. Yes, there are some kids who have very special abilities, yes they are smarter than anyone else in the world, but they didn´t ask for it. They were made that way and now some grownups react as if they were dangerous weapons? 

Marc Elsberg draws a picture with sometimes hilarious scenes, an ironic tone and some characters that show their helplessness and their fear for the unknown. He explains difficult medical things in an easy to understand language, makes it very clear that what he describes is fiction but could actually already be happening and yet the message is clear: This is a book. A story that should entertain, not scare. 
And yet I was not the way entertained as I was with his other book. With Helix you go on a journey around the globe. Dive into fields in Tanzania, be a part of a conference in Europe, get inside in a chemical concern somewhere in Scandinavia, and back. Well, kind of.
No doubt, Marc Elsberg shows what could be, and no doubt that you will find some great scenes in this book. But after a great start, the story went more and more downwards and the end was lame. An open-end, which can be really very inspiring and lets you think your own thoughts about it, but I expected after all I read by him already, a lot more.

Characters
That the human species is frightened or feels threatened by everything that is not what we think is normal, that isn´t controllable the way we are used to, is no news. We see it every day in our real lives. But what some characters do in this story, and how some handle the situation, in the end, that was something I didn´t find ok at all. The hypocrisy that is shown here makes you speechless – not in a good way. Money rules everything, no news either.

Jill is a young girl that made me speechless – in a good way. She is smart as hell, no average at all and what she wants for the world is the best I´ve ever seen in a book like this. She does everything to help others, to undo the disadvantage some folks on this planet have. And she succeeds in a way that looks so easy and simple, that others feel threatened by her. I was not happy at all how the author treated her in the end.


Conclusion
After I had enjoyed his other thriller so much, I have sadly to admit that this newest wasn´t really my thing. His style hasn´t changed, but in the end, I was a bit disappointed. I missed his brilliance he is famous for when it comes to connecting fiction with reality. 



Happy reading







*This title was at the time of review only available in the German language. 

Marc Elsberg
Marc Elsberg ©Clemens Lechner





Marc Elsberg was born 1967 in Vienna, Austria. He was a strategy consultant and creative director for advertising in Vienna and Hamburg as well as columnist of the Austrian daily newspaper “Der Standard”. With his international bestsellers BLACKOUT and ZERO, he also established himself as a master of the science thriller. Today he lives and works in Vienna.

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11/23/2016

Waiting On Wednesday #28 – Now I Rise by Kiersten White


is a weekly event hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine. This meme is a place that spotlights upcoming releases that we´re eagerly anticipating with pure joy. Actually, it is kind of funny. I have since months the prequel And I Darken lying on my TBR, but not read it yet – so I have no clue how this author writes. But I am looking forward to the next book about Lada and her brother. Maybe I want this because the cover of both books are looking great and probably because I received some months back a handwritten letter by the author with some beautiful swag in it *smile*




Now I Rise
Author Kiersten White
The Conqueror´s Saga #2
Publishing Date June 28, 2017
Publisher Delacorte Press
Format Hardcover
Goodreads

Lada has no allies. No throne. All she has is what she´s always had: herself. After failing to secure the Wallachian throne, Lada is out to punish anyone who dares to cross her blood-strewn path. Filled with a white-hot rage, she storms the countryside with her men, accompanied by her childhood friend Bogdan, terrorizing the land. But brute force isn´t getting Lada what she wants. And thinking of Mehmed brings little comfort to her thorny heart. There´s no time to wonder whether he still thinks about her, even loves her. She left him before he could leave her. What Lada needs is her younger brother Radu´s subtlety and skill. But Mehmed has sent him to Constantinople – and it´s no diplomatic mission. Mehmed wants control of the city, and Radu has earned an unwanted place as a double-crossing spy behind enemy lines Radu longs for his sister´s fierce confidence – but for the first time in his life, he rejects her unexpected plea for help. Torn between loyalties to faith, to the Ottomans, and to Mehmed, he knows he owes Lada nothing. If she dies, he could never forgive himself- but if he fails in Constantinople, will Mehmed ever forgive him?


And what are you waiting for? Let me know your thoughts about this one or leave me the link to your WoW and I check it out.


Happy reading & waiting on


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11/23/2016

Hunt The Dawn by Abbie Roads


Abbie, you got me again! This novel has IT ALL - and a lot more. Sounds confusing? Maybe it does, but after you´ve read it, you´ll understand what I mean. Dark, bloody, and cruel scenes as well as some very hot ones – be prepared for everything. This book is the perfect combination of the darkest of humankind with a romantic touch. And when you thought that Race The Darkness was already shocking in some ways then think again – because this one tops it all! After I´ve read the first book of this trilogy, I expected something dark, beautifully written, and with scenes that go beyond everything, you can imagine. Well, what can I say? She did it again. Don´t know exactly how, but she got me with every sentence, with every page deeper and deeper into an emotional rollercoaster at it’s finest.


Hunt The Dawn*
by Abbie Roads
Fatal Dreams Trilogy #2
Publisher Sourcebooks Casablanca on December 6, 2016
Genre Dark Contemporary Romance
Pages 352
Format Paperback
Source ARC by Author
Goodreads
✶✶✶✶✶

You can´t hide your secrets from Lathan Montgomery – he can read your darkest memories. And while his special abilities are invaluable in the FBI´s hunt for a serial killer, he has no way to avoid the pain that brings him. Until he is drawn to courageous, down-on-her-luck Evanee Brown and finds himself able to offer something he´s never offered another human being: himself. Nightmares are nothing new to Evanee Brown. But once she meets Lathan, they plummet into the realm of the macabre. Murder victims are reaching from beyond the grave to give Evanee evidence that could help Lathan bring terrifying killer to justice. Together, they could forge an indomitable partnership to thwart violence, abuse, and death – if they survive the forces that seek to tear them apart.
Story
Lathan can read the memories of other people. An ability that causes him pain and something he would rather not have. He works for the FBI and lives a lonely life far away from others. The silence of his home is the only comfort he gets in his head. Until the moment he meets Evanee. With her everything changes. Not only that he recognizes in her a troubled soul as well, he also gets fascinated by her. Something about her makes him feel whole and complete.

Style
The easy and light stuff isn´t Abbie Roads´ way and will probably never be. And yet there are some easy and light moments in her novels. She shows what true feelings, true love can look like. What it means to be really one with each other without losing itself. Abbie Roads plays with the darkest parts of a human soul, with fear, with everything a tortured soul and body can give and have. In Hunt The Dawn the plot is even crueler. There is child abuse of the cruelest kind, sexual abuse, and the rejection of a mother towards her only son. You will see a lot of things you probably don´t like or have trouble with reading. But it is part of the story, part of what her figures are, and in combination with the blunt language and her great comparisons she haunts you from the very first line to the last. 
Yes, the story becomes darker and yes, it seems unbearable what her figures had to endure at some point in their life or still have to. But the author manages to show all that in a way that you can read it. You will get haunted by it, that´s for sure – if not, you can´t be human.

Characters
None of her figures has had an easy life. They all have some sort of pain, bad experiences, troubled childhood, or other things that you usually don´t call normal. Her characters, or at least her main ones, are not perfect beauties. Not in a common way – and that is exactly what makes them so perfect, so brilliant in what they are, how they feel, act, and think. Yes, they are attractive, her men are all tall guys and her women have something special. And yes, they do fascinate the reader’s eye in every possible way. But it doesn´t feel unreal. 

Evanee is a character I didn´t know at first what to think of. On one hand, I pictured her as a young woman who has a terrible past and tries to make the best out of her life now. On the other hand, I was astonished by how naïve, how trusting, and how unknowingly she could be. 

Lathan is a man, I was curious about. In the first book, he has only a few scenes where you could only get a glimpse of him. There he seemed dark, silent, and very mysterious. In Hunt The Dawn you get the answers to why he reacted the way he did towards Xander. Not because he is arrogant, not remotely, no. He is almost deaf since a terrible incident happened in his childhood. And the reason behind his tattoo is astonishing as much as sad – at least that´s the way how I felt about it.


Conclusion
I was in an emotional turmoil after I had finished it. This novel has left me in a mix of shock, being deeply moved, and with the feeling as if a mountain would lie across my chest. My throat felt like constrict and I needed some time to sort everything out and go back to normal again. Yes, this novel had a deep impact on me; maybe more than Race The Darkness had. Highly recommended.



Happy reading

*I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Abbie Roads
Abbie Roads ©private






Abbie Roads is a 2014 Golden Heart Finalist with her romantic suspense novel Dangerous Dreams.  Her writing is darkly emotional, but she always gives her damaged characters the happy ending she wishes for all her clients. She’s a mental health counselor known for her blunt honest style of therapy and her shoes. Abbie Roads believes that many of life’s problems can be solved with a kick-ass pair of heels and a chocolate martini—or three.  If that doesn’t work—seek professional help.

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11/20/2016

Stacking The Shelves #31 - Bought, Borrowed & Bagged #15


Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga´s Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical stores or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course ebooks! I am also connecting with Bought Borrowed & Bagged in homage of Barron´s Books & Baubles from Karen Marie Moning´s smash hit series, Fever, hosted by Braine at Talk Supe.

This week my STS comes a bit late. I was and still am a bit cranky and had absolutely no energy to sit down and write some blog posts. Today I could manage to sit upright for an hour and thought I can do this. During the past week, I received some books I have already read the English version of it, got now the German edition as reviewer´s copy, but I want to display them anyways.

For the rest of November until Mid December, I will be participating in a special reading challenge at a forum called Lovelybooks (the German counterpart to Goodreads) where we read Helix – They will replace us by Marc Elsberg. I already finished this thriller and have to say that I was a bit disappointed. But my full review will be posted later here on the blog.



Bought Books


Untamed City by Melissa Marr
Warriors Kaleb and Aya will stop at nothing to destroy their competition. But when Kaleb, a prizefighter from the otherworldly Untamed City, finds his fate entwined with that of Mallory, a seventeen-year-old-human girl, he can´t seem to separate the vicious Carnival contest he´s entered from his sudden – and obsessive – devotion to her. All Mallory knows of the Untamed City is what her elders have told her – that it´s full of debauchery and daimons looking to destroy her. But she knows she´s being pulled toward Kaleb with an emotion so fierce that it´s utterly foreign. The two are forced apart by Mallory´s overprotective witch father, but when the City´s ruler raises the stakes of the Carnival prize, there´s nothing Mallory, Kaleb, or Aya can do to stop the two worlds colliding. Mallory´s about to discover her true identity – and stumble into a fate she´d die to avoid. 



Review Copy


Stars of Fortune by Nora Roberts
To celebrate the rise of their new queen, three goddesses of the moon created three stars: one of fire, one of ice, one of water. But then they fell from the sky, putting the fate of all worlds in danger. And now three women and three men join forces to pick up the pieces …



Won


Helix – They will replace us by Marc Elsberg
The US Secretary of State dies at a State visit in Munich. During the autopsy a strange sign is found on his heart – caused by bacteria? In Brazil, Tanzania, and India, employees of an international chemical company discover crop plants and animals that cannot be found. At the same time, Helen and Greg, a couple in their late thirties, who cannot produce children by natural means, turn to a children´s nursing clinic in California. The doctor gives them hope. He tells them about a – yet unofficial – private research program, which has already produced over a hundred special children. And do not Helen and Greg want to give their offspring the best prerequisites? But then one of these children disappears and everything points to a connection with strange events – not only in Munich but all over the world …



Happy reading







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11/20/2016

Bound By Flames by Jeaniene Frost


Finally, I had the time to read and enjoy it. Diving into the fantasy world of Jeaniene Frost is most of the time a wonderful thing and was it with this third installment of her Night Prince books for sure. After all the other books in this series, which started actually like one big Night Huntress series, I for sure had to read this latest in her now so-called Night Prince series. Going back to Leila and Vlad was great and after all the other genres I´ve read a welcome change in my reading schedule.


Bound By Flames*
by Jeaniene Frost
Night Prince #3
Publisher Avon on January 27, 2015
Genre Vampire
Pages 342
Format Softcover
Source Publisher
Goodreads
✶✶✶✶


Leila´s years on the carnie circuit were certainly an education. What she didn´t learn: how to be a vampire, or how to be married to the most famous vampire of them all. Adjusting to both has Leila teetering on a knife-edge between passion and peril, and now the real danger is about to begin … Vlad must battle with a centuries-old enemy whose reach stretches across continents and whose strength equals his own. It isn´t Vlad to feel fear, but he does … for Leila, because his enemy knows she is Vlad´s greatest weakness. As friend and foe alike align against him – and his overprotectiveness drives Leila away – Vlad´s love for his new bride could be the very thing that dooms them both.
Story
Leila is desperate to find out who betrayed her and her husband and ripped her off of all her former abilities. So she wants to do it her way, but Vlad won´t let her. The risk of losing her is too big for him and way too dangerous. But who is the traitor among them, who is giving his arch-enemy all the information about where Leila is?

Style
From Leila´s point of view, the reader is thrown right into the middle of a very entertaining story where Leila has to find her place in the world of the vampires. As a new one, she is forced to obey all the new things that come along with it and that is sometimes not very funny At least not from her sight. Jeaniene Frost wrote this last book of her Night Prince series in a very ironic, sometimes wonderful sarcastic and even cynical way. The language is simple, to the point, and shows the main figure with a lot of wit, irony, and strength, and confidence. And oh yes, there are some very graphic and hot, very hot, scenes. And believe me, there are really hot – hot ears are granted here.

Characters
Well, well, don´t expect too profound characters. Okay, they all have their burden; their dark pasts and things that lay heavy on their hearts, no question here, but you can´t compare them with other books characters. This is fantasyland. Well written fantasy, yes, and very entertaining, but nothing more.

Leila loves Vlad, but the way he treats her sometimes is putting her in rage. And rage combined with her new abilities is no good combination. At least not for her enemies. She is smart, sees things Vlad doesn´t always see the same way and during the ongoing plot, she starts to figure some things out that don´t make her life any easier. But her love for her husband, her devotion to him is unconditionally strong.


Conclusion
I really enjoyed reading this book. Jeaniene Frost is, in my eyes, always good for a great read with fun, irony, and sarcasm and fantastic scenes. And this book is no exception. For all fans of Leila and Vlad a must-read, for her Cat & Bones fans a wonderful addition to the Night Huntress series.



Happy reading









*I read the German edition new release by Penhaligon on July 25, 2016.


Jeaniene Frost
Jeaniene Frost ©private


Jeaniene Frost is a New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author whose works include the Night Huntress series, the Night Prince series, and the Broken Destiny series. To date, foreign rights for her novels have sold to twenty different countries. Jeaniene lives in North Carolina with her husband Matthew, who long ago accepted that she rarely cooks and always sleeps in on the weekends. Aside from writing, Jeaniene enjoys reading, poetry, watching movies, exploring old cemeteries, spelunking, and traveling – by car. Airplanes, children, and cookbooks frighten her. 

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11/16/2016

Babylon by Thomas Thiemeyer


The story goes from the sunny hill in Greece to the deadly desert and an ancient subterranean tower where Hannah´s belief, her strength and her will to survive are tested beyond anything. With this book came a change in the cover design of the entire series, and, though it is for the first three books a real change for the better, I am not really satisfied with the look of this one. But I wanted to see how things were going with Hannah and her family, what had happened after the last book, that I didn´t care about that much.


Babylon*
by Thomas Thiemeyer
Hannah Peters #4
Publisher Knaur on March 1, 2016
Genre Thriller
Pages 523
Format Softcover
Source Publisher
Goodreads
✶✶✶

THE PLACE: Mesopotamia, Cradle of Civilization. Today one of the most dangerous crisis region on earth. THE ORDER: the investigation of the baffling construction of human history. THE PLAYER: Archeologist Hannah Peters and her team. A billionaire art collector who wants to experience his last adventure. And a four year old child. Together they have to face the biggest challenge of their life.
Story
Hannah and her family are working now in Greece. Since the birth of her daughter, her life has changed. Not only by becoming a mother, but also by the fact, that her daughter is different from others. So Hannah is not very much amused when her husband decides to fulfill the last wish of their dying friend and travel his entire family to a place right in the middle of the most dangerous crisis region of the world. And there, she has to face things and go beyond everything she ever believed in or thought she´d have to.

Style
The thriller is told by an invisible narrator and is set about five years after the last book Valhalla. But unlike the previous books, Babylon is almost boring and without any surprises. And it goes even further. During the last third of the book, the story is absolutely implausible, almost absurd and over the entire book is less to nothing to see from the actual protagonist Hannah Peters. I don’t know the author like that. Usual his books are full of great scenes, logic, fascinating places, and characters who take the reader in with their personality. Not this time. Thomas Thiemeyer writes clear, brings historical and technical facts and details in a very entertaining way into the story and the plot is diversified. But with Babylon, he is far away from the great stories and energy he brought to the reader with the first few books of this series. 

Characters
Hannah Peters is in the first three books of this series a woman who is sometimes a bit clumsy, who lives for her passion and who can´t travel far and often enough to find old ancient artifacts or places of special history. She is driven by what she does, how she does it and her expertise is famous and to some the only thing that counts. It seems that, after she became a mother and went through a drama that killed all of her team-mates, she has changed. Now being an archeologist seems to be a job she does to earn her living and to have a place where she can raise her daughter out of the public eye. But the passion that once drew her into a new mission seems gone; entirely.

Yes, becoming a mother means a lot of changes for a woman, but does that mean she has to become boring, and in denial of everything that goes on around her? Yes, her daughter is not like any other child, but given the special circumstances of Hannah´s early pregnancy and the fact that her mother had to get that special cure to keep her alive, I would say her daughter can´t be like any other child – in a good way. However, I couldn´t get warm with her. She seemed too exaggerated, way too quiet, way too smart, and not acting like a four year at all.


Conclusion
I am actually a huge fan of Hannah Peters. But this part was nothing but average. At some point, it became so weird, so strange and close to being absurd and implausible, that I was sometimes wondering if this was really a Thomas Thiemeyer thriller. Sad to say it, but I am a bit disappointed by it.



Happy reading







*This book was at the time of review only available in the German language.


Thomas Thiemeyer
Thomas Thiemeyer ©private

Thomas Thiemeyer, born 1963, studied geology and geography before he became self-reliant and turned into a career as author and illustrator. With his science thrillers and young adult cycles, which won many prizes, sold over half a million times and being translated into thirteen languages, he is a well-established magnitude in the German light fiction. The author lives with his family in Stuttgart/Germany.


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11/15/2016

Trouble Walks In by Sara Humphreys


And again the author brings with her second McGuire book a great to read a novel on the book market. If you don´t know Sara Humphreys yet, grab her books and start reading – her books are absolutely worth your time! I don´t know how she does it, but with this book, the author proofed again that she knows how to keep a reader have his nose stuck in a book. Trouble Walks In is not only the perfect contemporary novel but the perfect fit for a cozy afternoon with the warmth of a burning chimney fire.


Trouble Walks In
by Sara Humphreys
McGuire Brothers #2
Publisher Sourcebooks on August 2, 2016
Genre Romance
Pages 309
Format Paperback
Source Purchased
Goodreads
✶✶✶✶✶

Ronan McGuire loves women, loves his dog, loves his job – but when old flame Maddy Morgan moves into his jurisdiction, he can´t think about anything else. Ronan knows she´s way out of his league, but he´s determined to help Maddy live life to the fullest. With tragedy in her past, Maddy has immersed herself in work and swiftly made a name for herself in the hot New York City real estate market. She´s looking for safety, not love, but Ronan McGuire is as persistent as he is sexy, and his crooked smile is hard to resist. But all other concerns are wiped away when Maddy goes missing and Ronan and his bloodhound K-9 partner are tasked with finding her and bringing her home.

Story
Successful in being a real estate person Maddy is used to working long hours and having almost no free time. Why bother going out when she is not interested in any man at all? And besides, it´s barely twelve months that her boyfriend died and that doesn´t seem long enough to start over again - At least not with another man. But Ronan thinks otherwise and he is no longer willing to give her the time or space to bury herself in her self-chosen solitude.

Style
This novel is written from the personal perspective of Maddy and Ronan. From the very beginning, the reader knows exactly what Ronan wants, and to watch him together with Maddy is somehow emotional and haunting. The dark part of this novel is given to a figure you start to think about after a few very awkward scenes and in the end, I was very pleased to see that I was right. The author writes clear, her style is modern and she gets to the point. The tension starts to build with every page you turn and with that, I don´t only mean the tension who the killer is. Oh yes, there is a lot going on between the pages and you won´t miss a single line of it – believe me.

But the tone is a bit different. There is a lot of dark in here, sadness and Maddy seem to be lifeless. She is working yes, talks with people, but she doesn´t show any sign of being really there.

Characters
Sara Humphreys creates figures with charm, humor, and some kind of dark in them as well. All of them have - at some point during their life - experienced something bad or at least something that hurt them deeply. 

Maddy hides from life, from herself and from others. Her work is everything and her apartment shows exactly how she feels inside: lonely. She spent many years with a man she thought she loved and when she discovers what real love means and how it feels, she is frightened and confused. She cuts herself from everything that means home, warmth, and being one of them. At some point I pitied her, at some, I got angry with her. 

Ronan grew up as one of the McGuire´s but his family being rich doesn´t mean he is too. Used to the fact that women can´t resist him, Maddy is a refreshing exception in her behavior towards him. He knows how to read signs, no matter what kind, and he is determined to do whatever it takes to get what he wants. But not at all costs. 


Conclusion
I feel touched, deeply moved, and had to take a deep breath after I put it down. This was a moving novel and an absolutely great sequel to the first book. Though you can read this easy as a standalone I would advise you to read this series chronologically. Highly recommended.



Happy reading







Sara Humphreys
Sara Humphreys ©private



Sara Humphreys is the award-winning author of the Amoveo Legend series. The third book in the series, UNTAMED, won two PRISM awards-Dark Paranormal and Best of the Best. The first two novels from her Dead in the City series have been nominated for the National Readers Choice Award. Sara was also a professional actress. Some of her television credits include Another World, As the World Turns and Rescue Me. She loves writing hot heroes and heroines with moxie but above all, Sara adores a satisfying happily-ever-after. She lives in New York with Mr. H., their four amazing sons, and two adorable pups.

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