Review: Slashback by Rob Thurman

Hey everyone :)

I have a buddy review up over at Breezing Through. Joining me is Leslie and/or Hilcia to discuss our yearly fix of the Cal Leandros series :) So head over to Breezing Through to find out how much we enjoyed this new installment!





Slashback by Rob Thurman
published by New American Library (ROC) in March 2013

I stopped and let them circle me, first because it was intriguing and, second, because, honestly, what could they do? Only knives, but all armed, and that made them even more interesting. Interesting. Fun.

Playtime…

Taking on bloodthirsty supernatural monsters is how Caliban and Niko Leandros make a living. But years ago—before they became a force to be reckoned with—the brothers were almost victims of a very human serial killer.

Almost.

Unfortunately for them, that particular depraved killer was working as apprentice to a creature far more malevolent—the legendary Spring-heeled Jack. He’s just hit town. He hasn’t forgotten what the Leandros brothers did to his murderous protégé. He hasn’t forgotten what they owe him.

And now they are going to pay… and pay… and pay...

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Cal Leandros, Book #8

Review: Doubletake by Rob Thurman

It's Friday again! Yay! This week has been kind of blur. There's a lot happening in Quebec province right now. I don't want to go into too much details, because it's a social and political debate and I've learned to avoid those on the blog. Needless to say though, it's very frustrating. Then, there weather has simply been crappy this week... Rainy and cold. We even had some snow flakes this morning!! 

The good news of the week is that I went to an ENT specialist yesterday about the vertigo. Turns out I don't have BPPV, but Meniere's disease. It's not much different than BPPV though, since there's no cure really. But at least, now, I'm reassured and so are my parents :)

On the blogging-front, I've been very busy as you can see :) I'm glad I was able to accomplish everything I wanted! Still can't accumulate a stash of posts to be scheduled, but at least, I had a plan and I got it done :)

So today, I bring you another review, actually a buddy review over at Breezing Through :) Hilcia and Leslie have joined me to discuss Doubletake by Rob Thurman. I really like this, because so far, all the books by Ms Thurman that I've read, either Hils or Leslie or both have reviewed them with me. It's like a tradition! You can click here to find out what we thought of Cal, Niko and Robin's latest adventure!

Doubletake by Rob Thurman
published by ROC (New American Library) in March 2012

Half-human/half-monster Cal Leandros knows that family is a pain. But now that pain belongs to his half-brother, Niko. Niko's shady father is in town, and he needs a big favor. Even worse is the reunion being held by the devious Puck race-including the Leandros' friend, Robin- featuring a lottery that no Puck wants to win.

As Cal tries to keep both Niko and Robin from paying the ultimate price for their kin, a horrific reminder from Cal's own past arrives to remind him that blood is thicker than water-and that's why it's so much more fun to spill.

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Cal Leandros series, Book #7

Review: Blackout by Rob Thurman

Ugh, I had a really bad day at work yesterday :( I was doing a repeat experiment and it didn't work. Again. I really don't know what is going wrong. Whether it's me or the samples or the reagents. As a result, I wasn't in the mood to blog... and decide to post this buddy review over at Breezing Through early :) Yay, for once I had something ready early!! Well, not that early if you consider it took me almost a year to put it together ^_^; So I'd really like to thank Leslie for buddy reviewing Blackout with me!! Thank you Les!! LOL, you can read our discussion of Blackout here :) Enjoy!



Blackout by Rob Thurman
published by ROC in March 2011

I was alone, and I was lost. I didn't know where I was; I didn't know who I was. it doesn't get more lost than that. Knowing what I knew and not knowing anything else at all, why would I want to be in the darkness where monsters hide?

Because killers hide there too...

Half-human Cal Leandros has always walked a bloody line between keeping his mortal soul free and clear (sort of) and unleashing the horror of his otherworldly heritage. The one thing that's always saved him is the memory of his brother, Niko, his friends, and those he loves. Until now.

Cal wakes up on a beach littered with the recently slaughtered remains of a variety of hideous creatures that were obviously looking for trouble. The fact that he is the one who did the slaughtering doesn't bother him. The fact that he feels like a natural-born killer doesn't either. What bothers Cal is that he doesn't remember Cal anymore... and he's not sure he cares.

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Cal Leandros, Book #6

Review: Roadkill by Rob Thurman

My poor blog! I haven't meant to neglect you! I swear! Things have just been hectic... and most of it hasn't even been related to my trip! Ugh, I was all ready to write this post last Thursday after work - even got to go home early!! I was changing into my pjs and what happened? The little, tiny screw in my glasses got loose!! That meant the lens fell... Luckily, I was able to find the screw and still had my old pair of glasses... However, the screw was soooo small I couldn't do it on my own. So I had to head back out, go to the store and have them do it. It took just a few minutes, but ugh, it was enough to exhaust me. (I kind of freaked out, thinking I needed the receipt so I looked for it... and I was like, what if they can't repair it?!? I need my glasses for everything!!)

Afterward, I think my brain has had enough and decided to shut down LOL. It needed a break from everything, including blogging and reading. I think I spent the past few days watching chinese tv series and this week-end, shopping. I did clean my room some, plus I started packing - actually almost done... All I have left to pack is my clothes that I need to wash first ^_^; and my cute shoes... However, I can't find them. Sigh. Nothing can't ever go totally smoothly, sigh.

Anyway, enough about that. You'll get more tomorrow about my packing and impeding trip. For now, let's focus on the review at hand. This review actually went up last Thursday at Breezing Through. I'm a few days late... so sue me LOL. Leslie from Leslie's Psyche and Hilcia from Impressions of a Reader... are joining me to review Roadkill - the latest installment in the Cal Leandros series by Rob Thurman :) You can click here to go directly to the review.


Roadkill by Rob Thurman
published by ROC (New American Library) in March 2010

It's time to lock, load, and hit the road...

Once, while half-human Cal Leandros and his brother Niko were working on a case, an ancient gypsy queen gave them a good old-fashioned backstabbing. Now, just as their P.I. business hits a slow patch, the old crone shows up with a job.

She wants them to find a stolen coffin that contains a blight that makes the Black Death seem like a fond memory. But the thief has already left town, so the Leandros brothers are going on the road. And if they're very, very lucky, there might even be a return trip...

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Cal Leandros series, Book #5

Review: Madhouse by Rob Thurman

How is everyone doing? I hope you're having a great week-end :)

I'm still recovering... I don't know, sometimes I feel better... Other times, I feel tired and hot. Of course, it didn't help I did something stupid - read instead of sleeping. Usually, I wouldn't mind, but yeah, when you need rest, that might not be the best idea, right? I stayed up Friday night till... hmmm, 3 or 4 o'clock to finish Tempt Me At Twilight by Lisa Kleypas ^_^;

Reading-wise, my week-end has been quite good. Finished Tempt Me At Twilight and Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong. Frostbitten was great :D and you know what? I might have the chance to meet Ms Armstrong next week-end at a convention!! Woohoo, I'm going to try my hardest to make it!

I got On the Edge by Ilona Andrews on Friday. Really lucky! It was fun this week, going after the books. I got Frostbitten on Thursday. The online showed that few bookstores got it on Wednesday, but I knew those bookstores wouldn't have it out on the shelves yet. Then, on Thursday, I saw that Coles had it. I immediately called... it was 3pm. The guy told me it was probably still in some boxes and that he'd be unpacking them, so he asked that I call back 1 or 1.5 hours later. That's what I did and he had it aside for me :D Easy peacy! :) Then, On the Edge... well that one showed up at Indigo... and let say I was determined to at least try, even though Indigo takes usually a few days to unpack their boxes. I got to the bookstore, didn't find the book on the shelf (duh) and no carts around... I finally asked one of the sale clerks and she was really nice. She looked at it on the computer and saw that the release date was September 29. She asked if I had a minute so she'd go check in the backroom. She came back 5 minutes later with it :D Wooohoo, so total score :D

So yeah, I basically spent my week-end sleeping and reading :) I cleaned up a little, but not enough... Will have to try to have my room cleaned up this week though. Otherwise, I won't have time...

Oh and I have a review up at Breezing Through. Hilcia and I buddy reviewed Madhouse by Rob Thurman. I'm actually very proud of myself for two reasons. It's quite rare that I review a whole series. I don't know why, but there's always a book that slip through my review mojo no matter how hard I try. The second reason? With Madhouse review up, that means I've reviewed all the books I've read in a month (August)!! Wooohooo!!! That is like unheard of me! Of course, it took me like 2 months to review them all and my reviews for books read in September have been scarce, but LOL :) I don't mind :)

So I hope you enjoy our review!! You can find it here.


Madhouse by Rob Thurman
published by ROC Fantasy in March 2008

My brother has spent a lifetime – mine, at least-telling me that I was normal, that I wasn’t a monster. With his help, I’d finally realized that as long as I could remain who I was, I could survive what I was. It was only bad genes...

Half-human Cal Leandros and his brother, Niko, aren’t exactly prospering with their preternatural detective agency. Who could have guessed that business would dry up in New York City, where vampires, trolls, and other creepy crawlies are all over the place?

But now there’s a new arrival in the Big Apple. A malevolent evil with ancient powers, dead set on making history with an orgy of blood and murder, is picking off humans like sheep. And for Cal and Niko, this is one paycheck they’re going to have to earn... if they live long enough to collect it.

Review: Moonshine by Rob Thurman

Hello everyone!

I hope you all had a nice week-end. The weather is being very nice lately, but the temperatures have definitively cooled down :(

I'm sick :( Stuffy nose and sore throat and perhaps a little bit of fever. The good news is that I don't have a cough, so it should not be the swine flu ^_^; I'm totally blaming my supervisor for this: stress and lack of sleep has weakened me. I loaded up on orange juice yesterday and I've been drinking a lot of water... Hopefully with a good night of sleep, I should feel better tomorrow.

Depressing no?

Onto better news though, here is my review of Moonshine by Rob Thurman. It is over at Breezing Through and my buddy this time is the lovely Hilcia :) You can find the review here. One more book and I'll have reviewed all the books read in a month! Wow, a first for me LOL :)

Enjoy!


Moonshine by Rob Thurman
published by ROC Fantasy in March 2007

I was born a monster. Although truthfully, I was only half monster. My mother was human; my father was something... else. Half monster or whole, in the end it didn’t matter. I had my weaknesses, same as anyone else.

And I was facing one of them now.

After saving the world from his fiendish father’s side of the family, Cal Leandros and his stalwart half brother, Niko, have settled down with a new apartment and a new gig – bodyguard and detective work. And in New York City, where preternatural beings talk the streets just like normal folk, business is good.

Their latest case has them going undercover for the Kin, the werewolf Mafia. A low-level Kin boss thinks a rival is setting him for a fall, and wants proof. The place to start is the back room of Moonshine, a gambling club for nonhumans. Cal thinks it’s a simple in-and-out job. But Cal is very, very wrong.

Cal and Niko are being set up themselves - and the people behind it have bites much worse than their barks...

Review: Deathwish by Rob Thurman

Nothing much going on with me lately except that I'm really on top of my reading commitments this month LOL :) First, I've already finished by TBR book... and I'm now doing my re-read :D Of course, none of it was planned... I just happened to pick up those books... Although I'm not sure I'm going to keep that re-read. Might do another one before the challenge deadline. Ah well.

All right, for those who are interested, I have a buddy review up over at Breezing Through. The book is Deathwish by Rob Thurman and it's the lastest in the Cal Leandros series. This time, my partner in crime is Leslie from Leslie's Psyche. You can find the review here.

For those who remembers, I did review the first book in this series, Nightlife, over at Breezing Through with Hilcia. There are two books between Nightlife and Deathwish and they will be reviewed... as soon as I put the review together ^_^; So I hope that you don't mind reading reviews out of order, LOL :)


Deathwish by Rob Thurman
published by ROC Fantasy in March 2009

How I felt the mental stirrings of a bloodthirsty heritage when I passed through the gray light wasn’t my favorite topic… The Auphe nature wasn’t mine. I wouldn’t let it be. And if I said that to myself over and over and sprinkled around enough frigging fairy dust, maybe it would be true.

Half-human Cal Leandros and his brother, Niko, are barely getting by with their preternatural detective agency when the vampire Seamus hires them. He’s being followed, and he wants to know by whom. But the Leandros brothers have to do more than they had planned when Seamus turns up dead (or un-undead).

Worse still is the return of Cal’s nightmarish family, the Auphe. The last time Cal and Niko faced them, the Auphe were almost wiped out. Now they want revenge. Cal knows that before the Auphe get to him, they will try to destroy everything and everyone he holds dear. Because for the Auphe, Cal’s pain is a pleasure.

And they’re feeling good.

EDIT: Just updated the review archive for anyone who's interested... Wow, I am impressed at myself, I did review a lot!

Review: Nightlife by Rob Thurman

Ahhhh, finally the week-end!! Yay!! We're having gorgeous weather, it's really nice... and I don't have much to do today at work, even better LOL :)

Any plans for the week-end anyone? Me, I'm going to try to catch up on my reading... and I have a friend who works in Seattle who came back for vacation. So I'll try to spend some time with her.

I have a buddy review up at Breezing Through: Nightlife by Rob Thurman. I have to thank two persons: first, Leslie for her review and then, Hilcia for buddy reviewing it with me. You can find the review here.

Nightlife by Rob Thurman
published by ROC Fantasy in March 2006

There are monsters among us. There always have been and there always will be. I’ve known that ever since I can remember, just like I’ve always known I was one…

… Well, half of one, anyway.

Welcome to the Big Apple. There’s a troll under the Brooklyn Bridge, a boggle in Central Park, and a beautiful vampire in a penthouse on the Upper East Side – and that’s only the beginning. Of course, most humans are oblivious to the preternatural nightlife around them, but Cal Leandros is only half-human.

His father’s dark lineage is the stuff of nightmares – and he and his entire otherworldly race are after Cal. Why? Cal hasn’t wanted to stick around long enough to find out.

He and his half-brother Niko have managed to stay a step ahead for three years, but now Cal’s dad has found them again. And Cal is about to learn why they want him, why they’ve always wanted him… for he is the key to unleashing their hell on earth. The fate of the human world will be decided in the fight of Cal’s life…