Review: Forbidden and Amityville Horrible by Kelley Armstrong

Hey everyone! How are you doing? Sorry for the lack of posts ^_^; I've been pretty tired lately - curling, Chinese New Year, hanging out with friends = lack of sleep - and I think it's been affecting my mood, my reading and my blogging :( Hopefully, I'll be able to catch up on my sleep this week!

Today is a two-fer reviews because well, lack of reviews in the past couple of days, but also because both books were written by the same author: Kelley Armstrong. These are novellas that were published back in December with  Subterranean Press. Seriously, I'm really happy Ms Armstrong has decided not to end the series and just go on hiatus :P Anyway, with these two reviews, I'm almost done with 2012! Yay! Then, I'll start tackling 2013, given my blogging muse comes back soon :) However, as my blogging muse seems to be on vacation for now, I gotta warn you that these reviews might not flow really well ^_^; I really had a hard time writing them, it just wouldn't come :( I hope you can still enjoy them though :)


Forbidden by Kelley Armstrong

published by Subterranean Press in December 2012

The team-spirit sign by the side of the highway seems a good omen to loner Morgan Walsh, as he drives to what could be the most important visit of his life — a chance to join the North American Pack. Then he wakes naked in the woods, surrounded by wolf tracks and a ring of suspicious cops. The situation only gets worse when he’s bailed out by Alpha-elect Elena Michaels and Clayton Danvers, her terrifying enforcer and mate.

Disappointed that such a promising young werewolf risked exposing them, Elena isn’t expecting anything from the pesky retrieval job except some much-needed alone time with Clay. Instead, she finds a different kind of evil stalking the streets and forests of Westwood, New York. Trapped in town by a snowstorm and sabotage, Elena, Clay and Morgan must find the mysterious threat before it sets its sights on them.

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Women of the Otherworld/Otherworld stories

The Story: The synopsis is pretty accurate. Morgan Walsh comes from a family of fishermen in Newfoundland and is a hereditary werewolf. Not interested in his family's lifestyle, he set out to see what the world had to offer. That led him to Anchorage, Alaska, where he tried to live as a wolf, exploring his second nature. It's during that time, eighteen months ago, that he met the American Pack (Frostbitten). They issued him an invitation to visit and perhaps recruit when he was done with his wolf experiment. Interested and intrigued, Morgan has finally decided on the visit. However, his visit starts off on a bad note when during a rest stop, Morgan finds himself in need of Changing and the next thing he knows, he's being arrested, naked in the forest during winter. Then, Elena is called in to bail him out. On their way out, their car's tires are slashed, effectively trapping them in town for the night...

My Opinion: The Women of the Otherworld series is one of my favorite urban fantasy series and so, I always look forward to new additions, whether they are full-length novels or novellas. I was even more excited about Forbidden when I found out it was about Morgan :) Ever since Frostbitten, I've been curious about his character and wondered whether he would join the Pack or not... As such, I'm really glad Ms Armstrong  finally wrote a story that provided me some of the answers.

All in all, I thought Forbidden was an interesting read. First, I always enjoy reading about the Pack and this time was no exception. Packs are one of my favorite elements in series that have werewolves, shapeshifters, changelings, etc. because they are an integral part of the world building and really set the tone, the atmosphere. I also enjoy them because I find the hierarchy fascinating and for the Pack politics and dynamics which are very akin to court intrigues :) In the Women of the Otherworld series, I think Ms Armstrong has created a very unique Pack. Part of it is has to do with the hierarchy which is not as strict and rigid. There's simply less emphasis on dominance and instinct. I mean, I wouldn't consider Clay a beta male, LOL, and Jeremy and Elena were both chosen/elected as Alphas. In that sense, the Pack is more humane and therefore, there is more focus on personalities. However, the reason I find the Pack stands out is its size. At the beginning of the series, the North American Pack was almost decimated and for the longest time, it consisted of only 5 werewolves. Finally though, in the past few books, it's slowly being built back and  new werewolves are joining. It's been interesting to read about the process, especially because because Ms Armstrong has done an excellent job at creating characters with distinct personalities and motives :) For example you have Karl which is really a veteran and has been a lone wolf for so long, but who craved territory. Then, there's been Reese and Noah who are younger and more malleable... and then, Morgan who is more individualist. I really enjoyed reading Morgan's thoughts about joining the Pack, especially his worries about not being up to standard. The nervousness he felt coming down for this visit, because he's evaluating whether he wants to join or not, but he knows he's also being evaluated. Anyway, I'm glad that Morgan has chosen to give the Pack a chance and I'm really looking forward to see how the Pack grows :)

As usual, I also enjoyed re-visiting Elena and Clay and see how they are dealing with parenthood LOL. I wonder what is harder for Elena, being a mother of twins or transitioning into her responsibilities as Alpha? :) However, while it's fun to catch up with one of my favorite pairings, it's pretty much the same as always... there's not much growth or development to their characters. It sounds a bit weird to write this given there are some big changes that have occurred - them becoming parents, Elena taking over Jeremy - but the transitions have been so smooth... Sure Elena has doubts and worries, but then again, she always had had those for different reasons and Clay as always is her rock. Anyway, I guess what I mean is that it's fun to see Elena and Clay again, but not much is happening with them, they just serve as narrators. It wouldn't really be an issue in full-length novels because then, there'd be the plot, suspense and action to detract the attention from them... but as this novella is not focus on them as was Hidden, well it feels like Ms Armstrong is pleasing fans more than anything. Not a bad thing, but more substance would be appreciated.

The plot of Forbidden, aside from Morgan joining the Pack, was okay given the length. That wasn't the reason why I read the novella, so it could overlook its flaws. The fact that it involved a bit of woo-woo made sense - it's urban fantasy after all - but seemed a bit too coincidental to me. Two things though that bothered me about Forbidden. The first is when does the story take place in the series timeline? I was a bit confused because there was a mention about Karl and Hope having a special news and I was wondering if it's the fact that Hope was pregnant in which case, the story took place before Waking the Witch. If that's not the news they were alluding to, then I'm really curious to know what is the special news!! ^_^; And the second thing is the art... I'm sorry, but I really wasn't a big fan of the art in Forbidden. It was a bit weird and the white/black/red color scheme did not help ^_^;

My Grade: B. Plot-wise, Forbidden wasn't the best novella Ms Armstrong has written. However, I got to know Morgan better, revisit Elena and Clay and read about the Pack, so it was still quite enjoyable for me :)

***

Amityville Horrible by Kelley Armstrong
published by Subterranean Press in e-book - December 2012/ in print - January 2013

Jaime Vegas—spiritualist, entertainer and, unbeknownst to her audience, real-life necromancer—swore she’d never do another reality ghost show after the last fiasco. But when she’s railroaded into a charity gig, she finds herself back on the set, this time with a cast of photogenic college kids, an up-and-coming Russian spiritualist, and a tale of missing girls and murder in New England. It’s cheesy, but that’s show business. With her werewolf Alpha lover, Jeremy Danvers, along to keep her nights interesting, it’s not so bad really. Until the bloody ghosts show up. Jaime has never faced spirits like these, and no matter how hard she tries, they won’t be ignored.

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Women of the Otherworld/Otherworld stories

The Story: Once again, the blurb is pretty accurate and I'm not going to try to summarize more, because I'd be giving too much away ^_^;

My Opinion: I had absolutely no idea about Amityville Horrible's release until I stumbled across it over at Kobo, so it was a really nice surprise! And given Jaime and Jeremy are another of my favorite pairings of the series, I was thrilled! Lucky for me Amityville Horrible turned out to be as enjoyable as Forbidden :)

Okay, this review is going to be short and sweet since Amityville Horrible was even shorter than Forbidden. All in all, I think Amityville Horrible was a good novella because it was well balanced between the plot and the relationship. I think it helped that Ms Armstrong had a focal point to concentrate on: Jaime. As it turned out, the storyline was actually quite interesting and spooky! And I thought the twist was clever - I did not see it coming. People keep underestimating Jaime and I love that she surprises them, LOL. I also very much enjoyed the outlook we got on Jaime and Jeremy's relationship - how they deal with it and how it works for them. Jaime and Jeremy's relationship is quite unique and it really contrasts from Elena and Clay's. While they are a couple and have a 'HEA ending,' they are not constantly together, attached to the hips. I love that the two of them haven't given up their lives, their responsibilities. Instead, they  compromise and it works. It feels very mature. I also liked that we got a glimpse of Jaime's role in the twin's lives, because I've been wondering :)

My Grade: B. Amityville Horrible turned out to be a very enjoyable novella :) If you are a fan of this series and particularly for Jaime and Jeremy, you won't want to miss this one.

Monthly Reads: July 2012

I'm slowly catching up on my reviews and blogging and re-establishing my blogging pace. Yay! It helps that I've calmed down a bit about the New Bride with White Hair :) I'm still excited and checking for the subbed version every hour, but I'm less giddy ^_^; I know, I know, kind of pathetic, but what can I say LOL. Here is a picture of the series, just because :P Ma Su is so pretty in my opinion, but a lot of people don't think so. I guess beauty is really in the eye of the beholder... But I think many of them are blind LOL.

Oh and I'm also getting used to the new blogger interface. Okay, it's not new, but I didn't do the switch back then and now, I no longer have a choice. Still don't love it, but I can live with it...

Okay, enough of ramblings :) Take a look of my reads for July and what I thought :) Now, only one month behind!


1) A Duchess to Remember by Christina Brooke: B
Upcoming Review.

2) Angelic by Kelley Armstrong: C+

This is one of the novellas, part of the Women of the Otherworld series, that Ms Armstrong published with Subterranean Press. I missed its initial print release, but luckily, it's been released as an e-book. I have to say, that's when I'm really glad for e-books :) Since it's a novella, it goes without saying that the story is short. It features Eve Levine who's ready to put aside her angel duties for 6 months of vacation in the ghost world where her lover, Kris, is. However, the Fates have other plans and Eve ends up investigating some djinns rebellion and it leads her to some surprising findings.

I thought Angelic started off very strongly, but at the end of the day, it was simply too short. Perhaps if Ms Armstrong had only focused on the investigation, it would have been fine... but instead, Ms Armstrong added some personal developments and therefore, there was not enough time to make the mystery as suspenseful as possible. It also affected the resolution of the case which I thought was a bit too rushed. That being said, I wouldn't want Ms Armstrong to take out the personal developments LOL. I really liked the flashback of Kris and Bryce, it explains why Bryce disliked Savannah so much. And while I was not totally sold on Eve's work conflicts, it was interesting to see what Eve's afterlife was like :)


3) Starlight by Carrie Lofty: C-
Upcoming Review.


4) Scandal Wears Satin by Loretta Chase: B-
Upcoming Review.


5) About Last Night by Ruthie Knox: B+


6) Sweet Stuff by Donna Kauffman: B-

I came across this book when I was browsing the bookstore and the cover caught my attention, so I decided to give it a try :) It's the story of Riley Brown who used to be a food stylist in Chicago, but moved to Georgia  with her enormous, clumsy and lovable dog, Brutus, after a particularly difficult break-up. She lives on her friends' boat and has re-invented herself as a house stager. It's during one of her jobs that she meets Quinn Brannigan, a best-seller author who's come to Sugarberry to finish his latest novel and is therefore looking for a quiet place. The two are instantly attracted to each other and their attraction only grows deeper as they get to know each other... However, Riley is still wary and is not ready to risk herself in a new relationship yet... What does Quinn have to do to prove to Riley he is worth the chance?

I know I have a few books by Ms Kauffman in my TBR pile, but Sweet Stuff was actually my first book by this author and I ended up enjoying it quite a bit :) I thought Riley and Quinn had great chemistry together and loved that getting into bed was not their first priority. Each had reasons not to commit immediately, although those reasons were stronger for one of them, and they both respected it. While I was happy that Riley and Quinn did not jump into bed right away - which is often one of my complaints in romance, I have to say that in Sweet Stuff, I felt it took the H/H too much time to get together ^_^; I know, I know, very ironic. It's simply that Sweet Stuff was very character- and romance-orientated, but at the same time, not much happened. It was a lot of wishy-washy attitudes from both parties. It would have been nice to see more lovey-dovey scenes between Riley and Quinn or some action or something. I don't mind low levels of conflicts in romance, but I think in that case, you need a certain balance between the attraction, courting and relationship and in this case, the balance was a bit off. Still, it was refreshing to have a contemporary romance where the H/H didn't get together just for a fling! That is the prevalent theme lately and I'm so over it. Plus, Riley and Quinn were nice and likable characters and I felt their personalities complemented each other :) Aside from the H/H, I loved Brutus!! LOL. He was such a great dog - not smart, but the kind that will always be there for you and that you want to hug when you feel down :) Would have loved to have more scenes of him in the book. I also liked the other secondary characters and thought the Cupcake Club was a lot of fun :) Made me hungry and wanted a cupcake :)

7) Sugar Rush by Donna Kauffman: C

I enjoyed Sweet Stuff so much, I decided to go back and read the first book in the series. This book is about Leilani Trusdale, Lani for short, and Baxter Dunne who made an appearance in Sweet Stuff. Baxter is a renowned pastry chef, very popular and in demand at the moment. Not only does he have his own restaurants, but also has a TV show. Lani used to work for him in New York City and had a huge crush on him. However, she gave up her stellar career up and came back to Sugarberry after her mother passed away and her father had a heart attack. She's settled back home and opened her own cupcake shop and has never been happier. Of course, she misses her friends, but not the cut-throat and backstabbing environment of the kitchens... The last thing she needs is for Baxter to come to her neck of the woods to film his next series for his culinary TV show, but that's exactly what he does. Forcing the two to acknowledge their feelings and taking a decision.

Overall, I did like Sugar Rush. Once again, the H/H have good chemistry and I enjoyed their interactions and dynamics. And once again, it was nice that they worked through their issues and problems before becoming a couple. At the same time, it also felt like it took them forever to get together and I just started getting bored. The difference between Lani/Baxter and Riley/Quinn is that Lani and Baxter knew each other. They had a past and both have had feelings for one another for quite a long time. Baxter even came down to the South to film his TV show! They meant something to each other, a lot more than they wanted. As a result, it didn't make sense that it took them so long to sort things out. I simply wished there had been more scenes of the two together as a couple and I think it would have been more interesting to see them work out their relationship and overcome the obstacles than just waffling back and forth. I just wished Baxter had swept Lani off her feet, that there was a bit more passion between the two and they stopped being so logical.

Otherwise, Sugar Rush wasn't a bad book... but because I read it right after Sweet Stuff, I couldn't help comparing the two and I definitively enjoyed Sweet Stuff more. It was nice to see how the Cupcake Club started and to meet the secondary characters. I do wish we'd have seen more of Charlotte and Carlo, they are an interesting couple.


8) Off the Menu by Stacey Ballis: B`

*** 

Balance 
Books bought: + 5
Books read: -8
TBR pile: -3 

Genres
Contemporary Romance – 3
Women's Fiction/Chick-Lit – 1
Historical Romance – 3
Urban Fantasy – 1

***

July was a slow month, both reading-wise and book-buying-wise, but it makes sense since I was on vacation. I really thought I would have had more time to read, but alas. LOL, I underestimate Europe :) Still, at the end of the day, I'm happy with the numbers. It's not half-bad and I did at least manage to read some.

What about you? Do you manage to read when you're on a trip overseas?

Review: Hidden by Kelley Armstrong

Hidden by Kelley Armstrong

published by Subterranean Press in December 2011

Hiking through the snow, holiday baking and playing board games by the fire – what’s not to love about an old-fashioned family Christmas?

Werewolves Elena Michaels and Clayton Danvers want to give their four-year-old twins, Kate and Logan, something their parents never had: a nice, normal holiday. No Pack responsibilities, no homicidal half-demons or power-hungry sorcerers to deal with – just the four of them, alone, at a chalet outside Ontario’s Algonquin Park.

Then a strange werewolf shows up at their door…while the town is buzzing about a young man, back from college, found half-eaten in the woods. And there’s the missing little girl…

With all the signs pointing to a rogue mutt with a taste for human flesh, Elena and Clay have no choice but to investigate. But are they the hunters – or the hunted?

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Women of the Otherworld, Book #10.4

The Story: It is pretty much as the synopsis describes. In Hidden, Elena and Clayton have planned to celebrate Christmas with their twins, Logan and Kate, at a cabin in Ontario. Unfortunately, plans are disrupted when it appears there is a mutt in the neighborhood and they must assess the threat.

However, what worries Elena the most is a personal problem. As the twins are growing up, it's becoming increasingly hard to hide their werewolves nature from the twins and Elena is faced with the dilemma of revealing the truth or continuing the charade.

My Opinion: The Women of the Otherworld series holds a special place in my heart :) It's one of the first urban fantasy series I've read and also one of my favorites! I love the world and the characters Ms Armstrong has created. Although, I admit that in the past couple of years, I've dropped the ball a little bit ^_^; Basically, it's because Ms Armstrong is wrapping up the series with a trilogy featuring Savannah... Savannah has never been my favorite character and I figure I'd stack up the deck by reading the whole trilogy in one go instead of waiting a year in between book :) However, when I heard that Ms Armstrong was coming out with a novella featuring Elena, Clay and the twins? There was no doubt that I'd move heaven and earth to get my hands on it!

Not surprisingly, I really enjoyed Hidden :) Where to start? LOL. I looooved seeing Elena and Clay as parents and their interactions with the twins! It was just so sweet! We've witnessed Elena and Clay's relationship evolved throughout the series, from Elena and Clay's reconciliation to Elena's concerns about them becoming parents and up to this point. I have to say, I'm really glad Ms Armstrong took this step with this relationship and the way she developed it. Yes, it was the natural and logical next move in their relationship, but I don't think it was an easy one to execute and therefore Ms Armstrong was very brave. And execute she definitively did :) As I mentioned, I loved seeing Elena and Clay as parents. It's hard to be good parents, but it's even harder when you're werewolves! It's especially hard for Elena as she became an orphan at a young age, was moved from one foster home to another and therefore, didn't have a great childhood. I find her insecurity very realistic, but she doesn't let it show when she interacts with her children and with the support of Jeremy, both she and Clay are formidable parents in my opinion :) I also love that parenthood has strengthened their love as well :) I think it was great to see them wanting each other as much as they did in the beginning, perhaps even more. All in all, I think Elena and Clay have achieved the ultimate HEA ending and I'm glad for them!

We've seen glimpses of Kate and Logan in the past, but Hidden was really a treat :)  Obviously, the twins are a bit precocious, but I think, overall, it worked LOL. They do remind me a lot of Clay! I also liked that Kate and Logan each had their own personality. I thought once again Ms Armstrong did a great job with the characterization, but for me, it was really the bond between the twins. The ribbing between siblings, the subtle rivalry, the chemistry and connection :) You can see that even as such a young age, their bond is unbreakable :)

I was really surprised to find out that Elena and Clay had not told the twins about being werewolves. It was definitively interesting to see Elena's feelings and approach to the dilemma and as it was explained, it was totally understandable. I assumed that Logan and Kate would both turn into werewolves... but it's true that Clay and Elena were both bitten and Elena is the only female werewolf, so nothing is guaranteed. As such, I can understand why she's so cautious and worried. I think this was definitively the most interesting storyline of the book. As for the mystery, it was okay. It wasn't particularly suspenseful or as strong as what we're used to with Ms Armstrong, but then again, Hidden was quite short. Plus, it really wasn't meant to be the focus of this book. Another element that I enjoyed in Hidden was the Pack. We got to see the new dynamics of the Pack with the inclusion of the twins and the two new members, Reese and Noah. Reese and Noah are two young werewolves and I feel that's exactly what the Pack needed. And it was great to see Nick in the role of a big brother :) By the way, still love the connection between Elena-Clay-Nick.

My only complaint about this book would be the publication itself. Hidden was published by Subterranean Press and as such, is not cheap. I didn't mind the price so much, because I'm really a hardcore fan and I think that's the audience the author and publisher had in mind. Also, I think this is a good length novella and the binding of the hardcover is good quality... but, I was expecting more illustrations. Ms Armstrong's website indicates 6 illustrations and there were 4. I wonder if it's because I got the hardcover copy as opposed to the leather-bound one. Also, if the publisher has gone to such length, it would have been cool that the illustrations coordinate with the text.

My Grade: A-. I really, really enjoyed Hidden. I think it was a great book and I simply loved re-visiting Elena and Clay and the Pack. Throughout the story, I picked up little references to the past and it really made me want to go back and re-read the series, especially Savage. Clay will never, never, never live down the guinea pig!! LOL! I also loved reading more about the twins and discovering the new dynamics :) This book was definitively meant to be for the fans and please them... and it pleased me enormously. It was a real joy to read Elena and Clay's HEA ending and it really tied up some loose ends... for now :) I definitively hope that Ms Armstrong will be re-visiting this series in the future. For now, if you are a fan of Clay and Elena, do not miss Hidden :)