Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance news, book reviews, series guides, author interviews and related discussions. If you love a good butt-kicking hero or heroine and a world filled with fangs, fur and fae, toss in the occasional historical, contemporary or young adult title for good measure and RhiReading is bound to discuss something you'll enjoy reading.
Spring is finally starting to happen 'round these parts and with it, I'm getting a bit busier in my offline world. So I'm playing catch-up with the blogs and planning to take a week off of them sometime soon. Stay tuned for details... 'cause even I need a vacation once in a while.
If you're an author who has stumbled by in hopes of requesting a review, I am currently booked through into June. Sorry! Until I get this massive review pile under control I am not accepting any more review copies until next month. I would love to share a guestpost if you're interested though!
Love to know when the latest FREE books & giveaways are going on? Be sure and follow RhiReading on Facebook for Kindle FREEBIE and STEAL alerts and the latest GIVEAWAY links! ♥ -- Rhi
With life being super crazy and the blog busier than I usually get (which I love) I haven't been getting on top of all the other events going on around the blogosphere like I've wanted. But I thought I would remind everyone that Larissa's Bookish Reviews and Paranormal Haven's big summer giveaways event is ending today.
If you haven't checked the event out yet you should pop on over to this post for a list of the posts. I've always been so impressed with my fellow bloggers who put together events like this and hope to take part in something like this someday too. So let's reward their hard work and make sure to comment and share! -- Rhi
Cameo the Assassin (Trilogy of Shadows #1) by Dawn McCullough-White Fantasy, Vampires, Zombies Format $14.95 (200 pages, CLAYPIPE PRESS)
Ebook $0.99 The Kingdom of Sieunes is rife with taverns, dirty streets, and clay pipe smoking citizens all toiling to feed their families and keep themselves in something little better than rags. With a foiled revolution just ten years prior still burning in the hearts of many, the royals enlist the aid of assassins to keep things in order.
The townsfolk entertain themselves by dreaming of better times to come and regaling in stories of the undead said to walk the graveyards at night... and of Cameo the killer with corpse-like eyes... Scarred and jaded Cameo is one of the most effective assassins in the employ of the Association, moving from one mission to the next as long as the alcohol keeps flowing.
Her acceptance of the murder-for-hire lifestyle is thrown into doubt when she meets a local highwayman with a penchant for fine clothes and women, and then she begins to think about breaking with the company but no one ever breaks with the Association under good terms. Author Site:dawnmccullough-white.com
Strong Bones, Weak Flesh (3 stars)
Cameo is a legend, an assassin mother's tell their children will slay them if they don't behave. But when a botched job leaves her a wanted fugitive alongside a pair of eccentric highwaymen her status as a merciless murderer for money is tested. Falling in with the poetic Bellamy and foppish Black Opal their exploits lead them on a less-than-merry adventure through forrest and tavern. Charged with bringing a young acolyte to his temple in exchange for silence regarding her not-so-human state she'll wind up at the bitter mercy of her master and challenged with keeping her new found friends alive.
At it's core Cameo the Assassin is a solid adventure tale set in a fantasy world where vampires and their ghoulish minions are monsters whispered about in darkened corners. Alas, this fantasy world is lacking in any fresh world building. Rather generic, the reader is dropped right into the world with no knowledge given as to what the world is like and very few details are ever given. A few towns are named and there's mention of a king but nothing is truly established to guide the reader into a deeper understanding of the realm.
The cast of characters fares much better but is still lacking. Cameo, being the title character, is enigmatic which works quite well. Black Opal is an amusing dandy that is likely to be a reader favorite with his constant fussing over his appearance. But aside from them the other characters fall quite flat, feeling like cardboard cutout stand-ins to fill space. Overall they each had potential to be interesting but they've been polished down to less than caricatures.
The plot of the tale was never very clear. It was as if the characters came first and the purpose was to find mini adventures to string them along until they reached some sort of romantic interest but without any romantic fiction elements. Honestly, it reads like a series of dull tavern visits and nights in the woods tending wounds to the point of being almost boring.
Overall though I did enjoy it. Cameo the Assassin is light fantasy, very much lacking in the vivid descriptive details most Epic Fantasy stands on while still having exceptionally well written action sequences. It's quite good for a self-published debut novel and my main reason for the middle-ground star rating is my displeasure with the lacking climax of the story. I'd recommend this one for fantasy lovers who need a filler story or something light to pass a plane ride.
It's M-M-M-M-Monday! *phew* Is it just me or is summer just blowing by at the speed of light?
So, how did y'all like last night's episode of True Blood? I definitely have a few negative comments I could make but I don't want to go all spoilery on anyone who might not have been able to catch it yet. Instead here is this week's Urban Fantasy and Bookish shows I'm watchin'...
Teen Wolf Season 1, Episode 5
There's another animal attack involving Lydia and Jackson, raising more questions about wild animals. Meanwhile, Scott and Allison skip school and Derek must deal with the werewolf hunters on his own. (synopsis source: tvguide.com)
Pretty Little Liars Season 2, Episode 3
Aria takes a pottery class at a nearby college, putting her in proximity to Ezra---and Jenna. Elsewhere, Emily manipulates the truth about her swimming prospects; Hanna tries to join the yearbook staff; and Spencer grows suspicious of Jason and Melissa. (synopsis source: tvguide.com)
The Nine Lives of Chloe King Season 1, Episode 3
Chloe meets Valentina, the leader of the San Francisco Mai, who suggests she go into hiding to remain safe. Valentina also assigns Jasmine to keep a watch on Chloe, while Chloe asks Alek to guard her mom after the Rogue call her mother's cell phone. (synopsis source: tvguide.com)
True Blood Season 4, Episode 2
Sookie reunites with Tara and seeks a solution to a vexing real-estate problem. Meanwhile, Bill flashes back to his past and informs Eric of a local coven whose recent experiments could become a problem for the vampire community; Jason receives some unorthodox medical attention; Sam learns more about Luna's demons; and Jessica struggles with her cravings for human blood. (synopsis source: tvguide.com)
It's been a long while since I sat down and went through my wishlists and looked for books that have finally made it to Kindle format to switch over. With a lot of books it's not needed and with some you know it will be by the release date but others it's hard to tell. Anywho... if you're feeling helpful or plan on buying these in a non-ebook format why not click the button and help we ebook reading sort out.
On the book's page just seek out this section right below the cover and click it, it's that easy. ;)
Time for a big ol' cover dump. I'm not the best at putting together a big covers post. I just don't gather up a lot of them and when I finally have enough for a post everyone's been discussing them and seen them already. But today I thought I'd share some that were new (or at least semi-new) to me in case anyone had missed them and just simply for the sake of art appreciation.
These are in no special order really... they kinda ended up semi-alphabetical by title even though I tried not to. lol Let me know if any of these were new to you and which ones you like best or think are awful! Enjoy! -- Rhi
