Assassin

REVIEW:  Mind Games by Kiersten White

REVIEW: Mind Games by Kiersten White

Dear Ms. White, Despite hearing good things about your Paranormalcy trilogy, I haven’t had the chance to pick them up yet. My paranormal weariness usually results in my passing over books in favor of something fresh and new (to me). But when I heard that you were writing a thriller about sisters, I was intrigued.(…)

REVIEW:  Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

REVIEW: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Dear Ms. LaFevers, One advantage of being offered books for review is that it has made me more adventurous as a reader. Even reading a bad book has some value to me if I can get a review out of it, so it’s not as much of a risk for me to take a chance(…)

REVIEW: Shaedes of Gray by Amanda Bonilla

REVIEW: Shaedes of Gray by Amanda Bonilla

Dear Ms. Bonilla, If there’s one character type I love seeing, it’s assassins. Especially female assassins. I could probably stand to see less redheaded assassins though. Seriously, what is it with fantasy and redheaded assassins and/or redheaded women? Still, the promise of a female assassin was enough to lure me into picking up your debut.(…)

REVIEW: Fate’s Edge by Ilona Andrews

REVIEW: Fate’s Edge by Ilona Andrews

Dear Ms Andrews, I must confess, I am a fan. You are one of those authors I count on to consistently deliver good stories. The presence of your name on the cover of a book will motivate me to buy what I would otherwise pass. I’m hooked on your Kate Daniels series of Urban Fantasy(…)

REVIEW: Isle of Night by Veronica Wolff

REVIEW: Isle of Night by Veronica Wolff

Dear Ms. Wolff,  Jaclyn says: When I opened to page one of Isle of Night I was expecting a historical romance set in Scotland—presumably on the Isle of Night. The ARC I had didn’t have a cover image and because I have enjoyed your books in the past I did not seek information about the(…)

Friday Film Review: Wild Target

Friday Film Review: Wild Target

Wild Target (2010) Genre: action/comedy/romance Grade: B+ “I love you, Victor Maynard.” – Roger, a parrot It’s got a hit man, an inept thief, a forged Rembrandt, a lost young man, the second best assassin in the business, a mother with high standards, a pink cat, a stolen bullet strafed car and a lesson about(…)

REVIEW: Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly

REVIEW: Angel Burn by L.A. Weatherly

Dear Ms. Weatherly, I’ve become rather selective when it comes to urban fantasy, even in the young adult genre. It’s just that there’s so much of it these days that if I don’t, I’d end up buried under a pile of books until well into the next decade. I’m also a little lukewarm on angels.(…)

Friday Film Review: Grosse Pointe Blank

Friday Film Review: Grosse Pointe Blank

Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) Genre: Action/Romance/Comedy Grade: B+ It’ll soon be that time of year again, when we get contacted about the organized hell that are High School Reunions. “Festivals of Pain” as one character here calls this one, when we see people we’ve barely thought of in 10, 20, 30 years and wince as(…)

REVIEW: White Cat by Holly Black

REVIEW: White Cat by Holly Black

Dear Ms. Black, I was first introduced to your books a few years ago with your debut, Tithe, the first in a series about faeries in modern times. In some ways, I consider those books to have kickstarted the popularity of faeries in recent young adult fiction. That said, I’ve made no secret of the(…)

GUEST REVIEW: Fault Line by Barry Eisler

GUEST REVIEW: Fault Line by Barry Eisler

Dear Mr. Eisler: Fault Line was the first book of yours that I’d read. I’ve since read more, by the way. In the past, I have worked at Intellectual Property law firms as well as in the legal department of a Bio-Tech firm, so I am intimate with the portion of Fault Line that deals(…)

REVIEW: Skin Game by Ava Gray

REVIEW: Skin Game by Ava Gray

Dear Ms. Gray (aka Ms. Aguirre): In reviewing my emails (because my memory, as you know, is terribly spotty), I see I received the book for review from you. I had enjoyed Grimspace and heard that this book was fresh for the romance genre and it is. Kyra is a grifter, working with her father,(…)

REVIEW: Covet by J.R. Ward

Dear Ms. Ward, I don’t even know where to begin. While it’s true I’m a fan of your Black Dagger Brotherhood series, I stopped making any claims about its purported quality many books back. Romance? Unlike most readers who thought the first books were romance, only for later ones to shift into the urban fantasy(…)

REVIEW: Made To Be Broken by Kelley Armstrong

REVIEW: Made To Be Broken by Kelley Armstrong

Dear Ms. Armstrong, While I’m quite familiar with your Otherworld novels, your non-paranormal Nadia Stafford books are a recent discovery for me.   But as I said in that review, sometimes being late to the party can have its advantages.   Namely, no long wait in between books!   And unless I’m mistaken, almost two years have passed(…)

REVIEW: Exit Strategy by Kelley Armstrong

REVIEW: Exit Strategy by Kelley Armstrong

Dear Ms. Armstrong, I know I’m way behind the curve when it comes to this book.   If there had been a bus, it departed weeks ago and I’m the lone person standing on a street corner with only tumbleweeds to keep me company.   There’s no reason it took me so long to pick it up.  (…)

REVIEW: Death Angel by Linda Howard

Dear Ms. Howard: I was ruminating about this book as I polished up the review. At first I thought, this is a departure for you because it is such a dark book, featuring a very different type of heroine. But you’ve had darker books before (Cry No More) and you’ve featured different types of heroines(…)