Review: Deadline

Deadline
Mira Grant
Dystopian
Newsflesh Trilogy/Book 2
Orbit/May 31, 2011

*Spoilers for Feed (book 1)

From the back cover ~

Shaun Mason is a man without a mission. Not even running the news organization he built with his sister has the same urgency as it used to. Playing with dead things just doesn't seem as fun when you've lost as much as he has.

But when a CDC researcher fakes her own death and appears on his doorstep with a ravenous pack of zombies in tow, Shaun has a newfound interest in life. Because she brings news-he may have put down the monster who attacked them, but the conspiracy is far from dead.

Now, Shaun hits the road to find what truth can be found at the end of a shotgun.

This story took me on a long journey complete with bumps, potholes and a long layover. I started reading Deadline at the beginning of July, got about 250 pages into it and had to set it down. The two main problems I was having was the slow moving plot and the narrator's voice. It didn't feel like much had happened in those 250 or so pages. Obviously not enough to hold my attention. After letting it sit for over a month I decided to give it another try. Some might wonder why bother? I hated to to give up, having already read 250 pages. I do like the world Grant has created and I was curious enough to find out what happened next. I just hoped it happened sooner rather than later.

Let's start with the narrator's voice. In book 1, Feed the narrator is Georgia (George) Mason who, while I didn't always agree her views and felt she got too preachy at times, she didn't get on my nerves the way her brother Shaun does, who is the narrator this time around. Shaun is practically wallowing in his grief for George, who died at the end of Feed. It's been over a year since George died and Shaun doesn't seem like he's gotten anywhere close to beginning to heal. He says he wants revenge on the ones responsible but I'm not sure what he's been doing towards that end. Then there's the Coke drinking. George liked Coke, Shaun doesn't, preferring coffee for his caffeine fix. Yet he drinks Coke in George's memory. Lots of Coke. All. The. Time. It got annoying quick. George also talks to Shaun in his head and he talks to her. No one else can hear her and many think Shaun's gone crazy but it's all good since George does give Shaun some decent advice. Was this part of Shaun's coping mechanism? It was more of an example of how Shaun relied on George and still was.

The plot moved slowing, with surprisingly few zombies showing up. There was more discussion of Kellis-Amberlee and it's possible anomalies along with government conspiracies and cover-ups. If you like scientific discussions and conspiracy theories, then this could definitely work for you. For me, I would have liked more suspense and tension in the plot. Based on reading Feed I knew there was a high possibility that not everyone would make it to the end of the book. In fact, I would have been surprised by it. I wasn't surprised. Things do begin to pick up momentum around 3/4 of the way through. Which puts us at around page 430 of a 580 page book. At this point, I had a hard time putting the book down.

There are a number of revelations regarding the truth behind the research of the Kellis-Amberlee virus. The CDC's overwhelming control of information and the power they have to declare an area hazard zone. They have power over who lives and who dies. I found the CDC's abuse of power one of the scariest parts of the story. The zombies are not the major threat to Shaun and the After the End Times staff. It's the CDC that is working to wipe them out.

*Major Spoilers Ahead*

You know when a big shocking revelations occurs in a book and at first you're surprised then the more you think about it and look back, the more you see the signs? That happened a couple of times in Deadline. One of those shockers didn't surprise me for long simply because I found it hard to believe such a strong character was dead. It's George and she's not just in Shaun's head, turns out she's really alive. That's how the book ends but if you read the excerpt for Blackout, book 3, you find out that George has been cloned. Cloning a complete person does happen in Deadline so there is some precedence for it. It didn't surprise me so much that George came back, I just wasn't expecting clone George.

The other revelation was Shaun and George's relationship. They are siblings but they are not blood related. They were adopted by the Masons and raised as brother and sister. Granted, Mr. and Mrs. Mason did not provide what could be called a loving environment, instead using their children as props to get their message out. But the reality is, everyone treated them as siblings. Their relationship was more than that as we find out when Shaun has sex with one of his staff and calls out George's name. Yeah. Adopted and not blood related, it still smacked of incest. I can see how Shaun and George would develop a close relationship given how their parents treated them but I really wish Grant hadn't gone there. It came across as more for the shock than for anything it may add to the story or character development. They could still be as close as best friends and siblings without sex entering into the equation.

So, time for the grade. I did like the final quarter of the book but I don't feel any desire to read the final book. Plus, setting it aside for over a month and considering DNFing it leaves me to think this is not the trilogy for me. I do think if you loved Feed then there's a good chance you'll like Deadline. The science is interesting but can become tedious if that is not your thing. If you're looking for lots of zombies and fighting, then you might want to pass on this.

Rating: C

Books in the Trilogy ~

Countdown (novella prequel, August 2011)
Feed
Deadline
Blackout (May 2012)

Review: Aftertime

Aftertime
Sophie Littlefield
Dystopian
Aftertime/Book 1
Luna/February 22, 2011

From the back cover ~

The World is Gone.

Worse, So Is Her Daughter.

Awakening in a bleak landscape as scarred as her body, Cass Dollar vaguely recalls surviving something terrible. Having no idea how many weeks have passed, she slwoly realizes the horrifying truth: Ruthie has vanished.

And with her, nearly all of civilization. Where once-lush hills carried cars and commerce, the roads today see only cannibalistic Beaters - people turned hungry for human flesh by a government experiment gone wrong.

In a broken, barren California, Cass will undergo a harrowing quest to get Ruthie back. Few people trust an outsider, let alone a woman who became a zombie and somehow turned back, but she finds help from an enigmatic outlaw, Smoke. Smoke is her savior, and her safety.

For the Beaters are out there. And the humans grip at survival with their trigger fingers. Especially when they learn that she and Ruthie have become the most feared, and desired, of weapons in a brave new world...

The blurb is a little misleading. It makes it sound like civilization vanished when Ruthie did but when Cass wakes up alone in a field, it's actually been month since the world went to hell due to wars of bio-terrorism. Cass wakes up far from where she last saw Ruthie, not knowing how she got there and if Ruthie is okay. So begins Cass' journey back to the town where she last saw Ruthie.

Cass Dollar has one messed up life. She's a recovering alcoholic with a history of abuse at the hands of her stepfather. Her mother wasn't much better in that she didn't believe the abuse was happening. Cass' one bright spot in her life is her daughter Ruthie and she will do anything to get Ruthie back. Aside from finding out what happened to Ruthie and how it would all play out, I didn't have much emotional investment in Cass. In fact, no characters really pulled at me or kept my interest. It was the story and the world that kept me reading.

If you want to put the label of hero on a character, I guess Smoke would be it. His character is not very well developed and is kept at more of a secondary character status. Within hours of meeting Cass, Smoke has decided to help her in anyway he can. He was like a puppy, following her around into danger and leaving his "people" behind. I never could figure out why he was so quick to help Cass.

The Beaters - not zombies in the real sense of the word. To zombie purists, and I'm sure there are some out there, zombies are the dead come back to life. The Beaters are humans infected with a disease that makes them want to eat human flesh, preferably fresh. They did not die then come back to life, in fact, they are hard to kill. They infect with their bites so even if you manage to get away after getting bit, you're infected.

As Cass and Smoke search for Cass' daughter, they face many obstacles, most of the deadly variety. The survivors have begun to form groups, one calls themselves the Rebuilders. They use force to get results and take what they want. Smoke has a history with the Rebuilders and it's not a good one. Cass and Smoke do make there way to where they hope to find Ruthie and here's where the plot took a bizarre turn. It turns out religious zealots will always survive and Cass finds out just how crazy they can be. At this point I merely wanted to get to the end, with hopefully Cass and Ruthie reunited.

So, liked the world building for the most part. The characters less so. I didn't feel a connection with Cass and it's told from her POV. She's determined to find her daughter but then she would venture into these thoughts of how dying might just be easier. So which is it? Give up or keep going until she finds Ruthie? I didn't understand how she could even think of giving up when she had no idea if Ruthie was okay. I do hope we see greater character development in future books. Even with the problems and weak characters, Aftertime proved to be a quick read with potential for the rest of the series.

Rating: C

Books in this series ~

Aftertime
Survivors (free ebook)
Rebirth (July 26, 2011)
Horizon (February 2012)

TBR Challenge Review: Kitty and the Midnight Hour

Kitty and the Midnight Hour
Carrie Vaughn
Urban Fantasy
Kitty Norville/Book 1
Warner/November 1, 2005

From the back cover ~

VAMPIRES. WEREWOLVES. TALK RADIO.

Kitty Norville is a midnight-shift DJ for a Denver radio station--and a werewolf in the closet. Sick of lame song requests, she accidentally starts "The Midnight Hour," a late-night advice show for the supernaturally disadvantaged.

After desperate vampires, werewolves, and witches across the country begin calling in to share their woes, her new show is a raging success. But it's Kitty who can use some help. With one sexy werewolf-hunter and a few homicidal undead on her tail, Kitty may have bitten off more than she can chew…

No clue how long this, and a few others from this series, have been sitting on the TBR pile. If I had to guess I'd say a few years. I haven't read anything of Vaughn's before so this fits in nicely with this month's theme of New To Me Author. It also fits nicely with time constraints I found myself in, coming in at just under 260 pages. I didn't start reading until Monday night which I'll blame on playing with my new cell phone - ie. learning how to use the darn thing.

The premise is an interesting one. Kitty Norville is getting by with her night time radio gig when a call and a threat changes everything. She's a werewolf and now everyone knows. Here's where I had the first problem. Kitty's radio show not only outs werewolves but vampires as well. Kitty's alpha, Asshat Carl, tells her to stop doing the show, she doesn't, and... nothing. He threatens her but nothing comes of it. Then there's Arturo, the local Master vampire. He didn't like Kitty before the show and now likes her even less. He wants her to stop the show too. She doesn't, Arturo threatens, actually follows through. Pack politics also affect Kitty's life, threatening her and her venture into talk radio semi-stardom, leaving Kitty wondering who to trust.

The pack dynamics are pretty much what you would expect with an alpha ruling and a hierarchy that puts Kitty near the bottom. She starts out very submissive, really kind of wimpy for a werewolf but we do see her slowly evolve and begin to stand up for herself. That I did like. She wasn't this kick-ass chick, telling all the alphas off but she did stop hanging her head so often. One thing I didn't like about the pack was Carl. What a total ass! He has a mate but one of the perks of being an alpha is having sex with whomever he want - that included Kitty whether she wanted to or not. Was it rape? Yes and no. We get both Kitty and her Wolf's reaction to Carl with Kitty wanting to run and Wolf wanting to please Carl and be loved by Carl. Then both Kitty and her Wolf wanting to be loved and taken care of by Carl. However you read it, that aspect didn't appeal to me at all.

Kitty's life continues with more turmoil and mayhem. Not all of this is from outside sources. Kitty doesn't always apply common sense and gets herself into some of the less than favorable situations. She disregards advice from friends, packmates and even her lawyer. She may be growing more of a backbone but she's not there yet which is why it's so frustrating when she continues to put herself into these situations.

None of the male characters stood out for me. There's TJ, Kitty's packmate and close friend. He's okay but too much of a follower of Carl, whom I detested. Then there's Cormac the bounty hunter. We don't learn much about him which made it hard to connect with him. There's Carl - I've pretty much made my feelings known about him. The little bit we saw of Arturo was kind of interesting. I'd say vampire Rick was the most interesting. The feeling is that he's a powerful vampire but doesn't like to show off. He's sort of a friend of Kitty's, maybe ally is a better term. I could see him becoming a more vital part of the series.

In the end, I'm left with some curiosity for Kitty and her world and will most likely read the next installment, if only to get it off the TBR pile.

Rating: C

Books in this series ~

Kitty and the Midnight Hour
Kitty Goes to Washington
Kitty Takes a Holiday
Kitty and the Silver Bullet
Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand
Kitty Raises Hell
Kitty's House of Horrors
Kitty Goes to War
Kitty's Big Trouble

Review: Undertow

Undertow
Cherry Adair
Romantic Suspense
Cutter Cay/Book 1
St. Martins/January 1, 2011

From the back cover ~

SHE TAKES THE PLUNGE.

Teal Williams is content with her career as a ship’s master mechanic—until Zane Cutter, the “Casanova of the Caribbean,” makes her an offer she can’t refuse: to climb on board with him for a real-life treasure hunt. Teal must help him dredge up a shipwrecked vessel containing an abundance of gold, silver, and emeralds—and she’ll claim part of the prize.

HE’S BLOWN OFF COURSE.

Zane needs a mechanic — not a lover — and Teal, who can also dive, is perfect for the job. So it suits him just fine that Teal is completely immune to his charms…or so he tells himself. But with a deadly enemy in their midst—one who’s silently edging closer—Zane and Teal sink into troubled waters. Trapped in the middle of a perilous sea, they have no one to turn to but each other as they face down a danger that runs unfathomably deep—and a passion that runs even deeper…

Loved the premise in the fascinating world of diving for treasure. The atmosphere of the ocean, both beautiful and deadly gave the story a unique backdrop for the suspense and the romance. Unfortunately, the characters and the plot didn't live up to the fascinating world they inhabited.

Teal Williams has been hiding from the men in her life. Her abusive ex-husband, her estranged father and the man she's been in love with since she was a child. To get as far away from her ex, she takes a job for the same brothers her father works for. She's also hoping to get closer to her father and have some kind of relationship with him. She's not happy about having to spend a month on a boat with Zane Cutter but doesn't have much choice - she needs the job. Teal is shy and keeps to herself. She'd rather spend time in the engine room than socializing with the other crew members.

Did I like Teal? Not exactly but I didn't exactly dislike her either which is just as bad. I found her actions towards Zane annoying. She's attracted to him but she continues to give out these mixed signals. Glaring at him when he's dancing with a bare breasted woman at a party. He sees Teal glaring and goes after her, things get a little hot and heavy but then she pushes him away. This seemed to be a reoccurring theme with Teal. I had the Katy Perry song "Hot N Cold" running through my head a lot.

Zane Cutter is the youngest of the three Cutter brothers. He's the "Casanova of the Caribbean". Yep, that's one of his nicknames. He doesn't hide the fact that he loves women. Which is why I didn't understand him getting mad when Teal threw his rep in his face. He had parties on the boat, inviting lots of bikini clad women, and the bare breasted one previously mentioned. He flirted with them, pissing Teal off. He says he did it to make her jealous and admitted that it was a bad idea. He got that right.

I still don't understand why the parties? They're diving Zane's dream find so you would think they would have plenty of work when they're not diving. There are a lot of boats in the area, watching to see what Zane's team brings up. A one mile radius rule is in effect for the other boats, to discourage thieves, so why not enforce that rule and keep the others away? Zane knows things are being stolen from the dive site but doesn't know who is doing it. I'm not familiar with diving operations but the way this one worked, it didn't make sense to me.

The romance was confusing. Zane thinks Teal isn't his type. Then he gets a look at her legs - he's a leg man. He starts falling for her fast. Teal is already half in love with Zane and doesn't like it one bit! As I mentioned, there is a lot of pulling forward, pushing back on Teal's part. It just left Zane confused. When they do get together Teal's insecurities about her looks, due in part to her ex's mental abuse, surface. Zane does say all the right things, helping Teal believe that he really does find her very attractive. I did like those scenes. Zane showed that he's not an insensitive ass but really cares about Teal.

There is action, aside from the diving. The thieves resurface, causing more problems and danger for Zane and his crew. Then the Men in Black show up complicating things even more for Zane and Teal. Their diving services are required which puts a crimp on the salvaging. Much drama and suspense ensues with both Teal and Zane showing they are very resourceful when fighting the bad guys. There is even an underwater shootout. Seriously, why would you use a gun underwater? You can fire a gun underwater but the aim will suck unless you are practically on top of the target.

My first Adair book and while it didn't wow me, I find myself curious about Zane's brothers Logan and Nick. And Adair's website is impressive in it layout, easy of navigation and details about her books. Definitely fun to check out.

Rating: C

Books in this series ~

Undertow
Riptide (August 30, 2011)
Vortex (February 2012)

Re-Read Challenge Review: The Unsung Hero

The Unsung Hero
Suzanne Brockmann
Romantic Suspense
Troubleshooters/Book 1
Ivy Books/June 2000

From Fantastic Fiction website ~

After a near-fatal head injury, navy SEAL lieutenant Tom Paoletti catches a terrifying glimpse of an international terrorist in his New England hometown. When he calls for help, the navy dismisses the danger as injury-induced imaginings. In a desperate, last-ditch effort to prevent disaster, Tom creates his own makeshift counter-terrorist team, assembling his most loyal officers, two elderly war veterans, a couple of misfit teenagers, and Dr. Kelly Ashton-the sweet "girl next door" who has grown into a remarkable woman. The town's infamous bad boy, Tom has always longed for Kelly. Now he has one final chance for happiness, one last chance to win her heart, and one desperate chance to save the day . . .

Sorry this is so very late! The first book in Brockmann's well known Troubleshooter series did not impress me when I first read it and that hasn't really changed with the re-read. I think it was because of all the reader love that I continued with the series. I do remember not being thrilled with the secondary World War II story. I think that has more to do with not wanting to read about heroes and heroines who are now old and either dead or dying. I would like to read romances set in WWII but not through flashbacks.

Tom Paoleti is on medical leave due to being in a coma and is now trying to recover from his head injury and get back to his men on Team 16. Tom decides to pay a visit to his Uncle Joe and in the airport spots a man who looks like a well known, supposed dead, terrorist. Which is crazy, at least that's what Tom thinks at first. Then he sees the guy again, which I thought was kind of funny. Here's Tom in this little town and he keeps seeing an international terrorist. And, his superiors don't believe him when he reports what he has seen. Add to that the dizziness and headaches, and Tom's not sure what to believe. Kelly tries to help Tom figure out what's wrong with him and her concern brings them closer together.

In another part of town, Mallory, Tom's niece, meets a geeky guy named David who is heavily into graphic novels. Both in writing and drawing. He wants Mallory to pose for him and be his inspiration for his next novel. I guess they were a cute couple but they really didn't add anything to the story. It was like a separate young adult story had been stuck into a romantic suspense novel.

The World War II storyline was interesting but took away from the romance of Tom and Kelly. If it had been in a separate novel, then it might have worked. Plus, I'm not a fan of the flashbacks and that's how much of it was told.

Tom and Kelly - sigh. They had the hots for each other in high school but nothing really came of it except for a few kisses. Much of the time they were together this time around it felt very "high school-ish" with idiotic misunderstandings and both of them doing too much worrying about what the other might think instead of actually talking about what they are thinking and feeling. Then there's the hurt feelings and misunderstanding and the insecurities that could have been worked out had they acted more like adults and simply talked things out. I found them irritating for much of the book. I can say that I like them better as the series has progressed. Maybe because they're married now and getting regular sex? LOL

Overall, this book was merely okay. There was too much going on - romance, WWII, teens, and terrorist, that the book felt pulled in too many directions. Spending a little time on the romance, then jumping to teens, then over to grumpy old men, then another terrorist sighting. It was as if Brockmann was trying to give everyone equal time and ended up shortchanging the main reason I wanted to read it, for the romance.

I am glad I continued with the series. It still has some flaws, gets a little too preachy at times which I've come to expect from Brockmann, but I've enjoy getting to know the characters and even have a few favorites.

Rating: C

Review: hush, hush

Title: hush, hush
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Published: September 2009

*Some Spoilers*

From the author's website ~

Falling in love was never so easy . . .
or so deadly.

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

This was an odd read for me. On the one hand, I liked some parts of it. On the other hand, I definitely has some problems with it. The ending had some WTH moments for me. And there were plot points and one particular character that irritated the heck out of me. And there’s the absentee parent again. And there's the much older guy, who looks like a teen, going for the teen girl. As you can see, a number of issues with this story.

Nora Grey is a responsible sixteen year old sophomore who is home alone many nights while her mom travels for work. Her father was murdered about a year ago and Nora is still attempting to get her life back together after the loss of her father. Nora’s mom does employ a housekeeper who acts as a pseudo-parent for Nora but Nora is still left on her own a lot. Nora was a character I felt the author did a fairly decent job at portraying. She was responsible but still had the immaturity and inexperience of a teen to do things she knew she shouldn't. Heck, even adults do things they shouldn't. Nora would have these internal dialogues, trying to talk herself out of doing something she knows could lead to trouble. But most of the time she still caved to temptation.

Nora is also anemic. What I found odd was the way she kept iron pills and would take them when she “felt the need” for them. As in, she was feeling a bit weak, etc. so she took a couple iron pills. It seems like you would take them at the same time, everyday, to keep your iron levels stable. Not just whenever you felt the need. I’ve never heard of people carrying iron pills around with them. So it came across as a weak plot device to make Nora seem, flawed? IDK how accurate the scenario is but it seemed off.

Vee Sky is Nora’s BFF. She also drove me nuts! It’s possible she meant well but she really had no clue when it came to what Nora wanted. Vee was pushy and very immature, definitely looking to have fun and ignore the consequences. She was also quick to smart off to anyone and had a chip on her should that she dared anyone to try and knock off. I never understood why Nora and Vee were friends.

Patch, hmmm... I found his character interesting. I wanted to know more about him and what his motivations were but I also felt an ick factor with regards to his attraction to Nora. We're not sure how old Patch is but we know he's really, really old. Numerous centuries old and immortal. And Nora's sixteen. Ick. That was something that I had a hard time getting past. Patch also showed up wherever Nora went - stalker behavior that Nora didn't exactly ignore but she didn't keep her distant from him either.

The way Patch came across was not that of a teen so in that respect his character worked. It wouldn't make sense for him to act like a teen if he's hundreds, possibly thousands of years old. Unless he was faking it but Patch didn't do that. He acted more like an adult, hustling pool, winning cash and cars. His character was an odd combination of bad boy and wanna-be-boyfriend. Sometimes he was nice to Nora, other times he gave off a very menacing feel towards her. It wasn't always clear who's side he was on. Which makes sense in an odd way since he didn't always know who's side he was on.

The ending, oh boy. I felt like I was suddenly in a B horror movie with the heroine doing everything but venturing down to the basement where the creepy noise was coming from. People appearing and disappearing and just a general state of confusion. And the way things were tied up at the end just left me with an okaaay... kind of feeling. It was just too neat.

So why did this book get so much hype? My guess would be that it started with the stunning cover. It really is unique and the use of the black and white with the touches of red makes it stand out. But after all the hype, hush, hush just didn't live up to my expectations.

By the end I was just reading for the out come rather than for the characters and story. More of a "well, I've gone this far, might as well finish it" than an actual enjoyment of it. The book felt off for me, as if I was missing something that was just out of reach. Maybe I'm too old to get it. *shrugs* The grade, hard to grade. I did finish it and it did hold my interest in an odd way. (Remember I said this was an odd read for me.) But I think there are more entertaining YA books out there, sadly this one just didn't work for me.

There is a second book due out next year but I think I'll be passing on it. Ms. Fitzpatrick's website can be found here.

Rating: C

YotC Review: Scenes of Passion

Title: Scenes of Passion

Author: Suzanne Brockmann

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Published: July 2003

Silhouette Desire

Year of the Category Challenge

From the back cover ~

Safe, steady . . . and unsatisfying - that pretty much summed up Maggie Stanton's life. Then a stranger stirred her imagination until she blushed, a stranger who made Maggie do the unimaginable: take a risk. . . .

Shockingly, the man who'd compelled her to forsake predictability for passion was the full-grown version of her childhood best friend. Only, this Matthew Stone wanted marriage, not a walk down memory lane.

For a while, Maggie almost believed that their whirlwind wedding was the union of soul mates. Almost. Then she learned the secret Matthew was keeping.

Why the two covers? According to Ms. Brockmann's website, the second cover with the bedroom scene was the cover used to promote the book but when published the first cover with the creepy pinkish house was used for the book. Personally I like the bedroom scene cover better. The book is suppose to have an element of mystery surrounding the hero but the pink house just doesn't do it for me. I find it kind of boring so maybe it does work since I also found the story kind of boring.

I literally slogged through this book. Picking it up, putting it down. Trying to forget where I put it only to have it show up right next to me. Damn, I hate when that happens. :) It's a short book, only 186 pages. I kept thinking, this is Brockmann, I like her books and therefore I'll like this one eventually. Never happened. Maybe it was the New England setting. But no, I've read books set in New England that I've enjoyed. Maybe it was the technical aspect of the writing. Nope. Brockmann can write and no major editing problems that I saw. The plot - eh, it was a fairly standard plot. High school friends become lovers. I like that particular trope. So that just leaves the characters...

Maggie Stanton is the heroine. A heroine who lets just about anyone and everyone walk all over her. I could say she lost her backbone years ago but I'm not sure she ever had one. I know it sounds harsh but she just bugged the crap out of me. I do have to give her props for sticking up for herself when it came to the community theater. Her mother knew better than to have Maggie's pre-engagement party on the day the local community theater held their auditions. Of course this party was for a man that Maggie doesn't want to marry but she still hadn't gotten up the nerve to tell her parents or the non-fiance.

Matt Stone - former town bad boy who went away and came back Mr. Goodie-Two-Shoes. He doesn't smoke anymore; okay that's fine because the only hero I've ever found attractive that smoked is Roarke. And he only does it occasionally. Back to former bad boy Matt - he doesn't drink anymore, at all. He's into lots of excercising and he's a vegan. Talk about complete 180 on this guy. Why the big change? Don't know. He's all "mysterious" about the changes. Just that he was seriously ill and it made him change his life. We do find out by the end of the book what happened to cause the drastic changes and it all made sense but by then I just didn't care .

The main problem I had with this story is that I just couldn't drum up any concern for Maggie and Matt. I didn't care what happened to them, if they got a HEA, etc. Things did get a bit more interesting once they got together and Maggie stood up to her family but even then it was like the book was just going through the motions and their love story was just a typical story. Nothing really to make it stand out. The scenes concerning the play, which they both tryout for, were dull. I don't find live theater and the goings on very interesting so it could totally be my hang up. And as for Matt - I'm just a lover of bad boys and while I like reformed bad boys, I don't like them totally reformed - a little bad is not a bad thing. :)

So this book just proves to me that I need to stick to Brockmann's Troubleshooter series which I'm still reading even after the bump in the road know as Into the Fire. I did like Dark of Night (review here) but then I was just fine with the pairings that went on in that book.

Ms. Brockmann's huge backlist can be found on her website.

Rating: C

Review: Doomsday Can Wait

Title: Doomsday Can Wait

Author: Lori Handeland

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Series: Phoenix Chronicles/Book 2

Published: May 2009

From the back cover ~

SHE CAN SEE EVIL COMING FROM ALL DIRECTIONS...It took the near annihilation of humanity for Liz Phoenix to understand the true meaning of her premonitions. Liz is one of the sacred few on earth who has the psychic powers to fight the malevolent forces that have tried to wipe out the human race since the beginning of time. She battled these beings once, thwarting Doomsday but losing most of her soldiers in the massacre. Now she must replenish her troops quickly-because the supernatural war isn't over yet.

BUT WILL SHE BE BLINDSIDED BY DESIRE? As the new leader of the federation, Liz is marked for death by a Navajo witch with a link to her past. To survive, she must rely on her few remaining allies-her mentor, a shaman with too many secrets, as well as ex-lover, Jimmy Sanducci. Bringing Jimmy into the mix is a dangerous move, for Liz's darkest desires are razor-sharp-and her longing for Jimmy is at a fever pitch. But can Liz afford to give into the cravings that burn inside her, with the next shot at Doomsday just around the corner? This time, if evil wins, chaos will reign-and the world as we know it will be lost forever.

Oh, boy... what to say about this one? I liked the first book in this series, Any Given Doomsday and I liked Handeland's Nightcreature series (the ones with "Moon" in the title) but this one fell short of the mark. It was difficult to get into and there were parts that just dragged for me. It was a road trip that had way too many stops. And it's very violent and bloody. I know it's UF but I was still surprised at the amount of "horror" contained in this story.

Former cop Liz Phoenix is back working at the bar when she has a customer who wants her dead. She manages to stay alive but knows it's only a matter of time before the witch tries again. So Liz makes some calls and heads out to find her former lover, angsty vampire Jimmy Sanducci. She needs help finding him and a road trip wouldn't be complete without a fairy. The lovely fairy Summer has a history with Jimmy which makes for even more uncomfortable driving. Throw in sexy shaman Sawyer, who Liz had a sexual relationship with and is still attracted to, and you get some fun times on the road. The only problem is that everywhere they seem to stop death has been there before them.

Once they do find Jimmy it's more blood and death and Jimmy isn't in the best shape. He's loosing his mind and his control of his vampire side. Liz doesn't care about the odds of Jimmy making her a meal, she's determined to save him. Sadly for Liz, she must ask Summer for help. LOL Yep, ask the former lover of your possible current lover for help. Summer doesn't try to make things better between her and Liz, she seems to secretly enjoy Liz's discomfort. I wasn't too crazy about Summer and all her "fairyness". She got on my nerves. :( She seem to be there to add more tension to the alreday tense triangle of Liz, Jimmy and Sawyer.

Then there's Sawyer acting all mysterious and sexy. I liked him in the last book but this one he seems to have lost his edginess a bit. In Any Given Doomsday you really weren't sure if he was on the side of the good guys or just on the side of Sawyer. The impression I had was that he was going to do what was best for him and if that happened to help the federation it was merely a coincidence. This time around he's doesn't come across as quite so dark. He's still not what I would call a hero but he seems to have soften up a bit, lost that darkness that kept Liz on her toes around him. Now she just has to watch out for his sex appeal that keeps pulling her back to him.

And lets not forget the crazy witch that's after Liz. She continues to go after Liz but Liz is able to fend her off. The wicked witch isn't only trying to kill Liz, she's also bent on releasing the evil that is the Grigori. If they are released then chaos will reign, humans will die... you know the drill. Not much "happy, happy, joy, joy" here. The final battle is bloody with a WTF moment that left me shaking my head.

The thing I did like is that Liz is still testing out her powers - she's not sure of everything she's capable of. I liked seeing her discover just what she's is capable of. She doesn't want to be the leader of the federation nor does she want all the responsibility that goes with it. But she trudges on and continues fighting and making those difficult decision leaders must make.

Unfortunately this book did little to heighten my anticipation for the next book, Apocalypse Happens, release date - November 3. I'm still on the fence if I'll continue with this series. I'll probably wait for reviews for the next book before picking it up. For more info on Lori Handeland and her books, pop over to her website. FYI ~ there is sound on the website so consider yourself warned. :)

Rating: C