Author Archives: Luna Lovebooks
Excerpt From Gilded King By Josie Jaffrey
It is no secret that Josie Jaffrey quickly became one of my favorite authors. I love her vampire novels! So when she asked me to review the first book to her new YA series I jumped at the chance. I am also excited that I get to share a snippet of that with you today! Read on my fellow bookworms and stay tuned for my review!
At the very furthest point of the temple, at the end of the double row of pillars that processed towards it, there was a pedestal mounted on a stepped dais. A figure was laid out on top of it. For a moment, Julia froze, thinking it was a real person lying there, slumbering in the temple, but something didn’t fit.
The figure wasn’t breathing. It wasn’t moving at all.
‘Come on,’ Lucas said, leading her down the aisle towards it.
‘Is it a statue?’ she asked.
‘A tomb, really.’
As they walked, he snuffed out the lamps that lined the walls, until finally the only illumination came from the rounded alcove into which the dais rose. It was a bright island in the centre of the darkness, and in the middle of it the statue shone: a man, wearing fine clothing in an unfamiliar style, with a blanket of stone covering his body. His exposed skin was tinged with a sheen of gold that glowed like the walls of the temple.
‘He looks so real,’ she said, reaching out to touch the golden curls that crowned his head. They were slick under her fingers, so intricate they might have been moulded from a real person.
‘They say he was.’
‘You mean this is his coffin?’ The pedestal certainly looked like a tomb. It was wide and deep enough to accommodate a body.
‘No,’ Lucas said, ‘I mean that this is him, that this statue was once alive.’
Julia’s hand had been tracing the lines of the face, but now she snatched it away. ‘You’re not serious.’
‘I am.’
‘This is why you brought me here,’ she said.
‘Of course. You want to hear the fairytale, don’t you?’
The Seer’s Daughter by Athena Daniels
This seductive supernatural thriller is as sexy as it is captivating. The Seer’s Daughter is a perfect blend of suspense, paranormal and romance. A brutal murder brings together a young woman and a detective with two very different beliefs.
I received an ARC or review copy of this book from the author/publisher. All opinions are my own.
Title: The Seer’s Daughter
Author: Athena Daniels
Series: Beyond the Grave 01
Publish Date: November 9, 2015, Sunset Coast Publishing
Genre: Thriller/Paranormal Romance
Source: From the publisher
Publisher’s Description: To save her, he must let go of everything he ever believed.
Upon returning to her hometown for her grandmother’s funeral, Sage Matthews is terrorized by a series of strange events. She dismisses each eerie occurrence as a by-product of her overwrought emotional state, until it becomes chillingly clear that something not of this world is desperate to get a message—or is it a warning?—through to her…
Detective Sergeant Ethan Blade comes to Cryton, South Australia, to catch a serial killer. When Ethan meets Sage—the latest victim’s beautiful granddaughter—his attraction to her is explosive and inconvenient. He knows she’s not crazy, but Sage’s theory about the murders is unbelievable.
With the handsome detective rejecting her ideas, Sage embarks on the supernatural journey that her grandmother started. What she discovers shatters everything Sage ever knew about herself—and who she really is.
Ethan’s routine case quickly turns personal when he discovers Sage is the killer’s next target. For her, he’ll break all the rules and cross every line. But how can he protect Sage from an evil he cannot even conceive of?
Possible spoilers beyond this point.
Luna Lovebooks says…
“Mother of all things holy, the man knew how to kiss! Every inch of her skin was on fire and aching for his touch. She ran her hands across his shoulders and down his chest, resenting the thin layer of fabric that kept her from the warmth of his skin. Tugging at the bottom of his T-shirt, she caressed his taut abdomen, then slid her fingers up and across the rippling muscles of his chest. The contact was electric, and she reveled in the low sound it elicited from him.”
This is the first book I have read by the author and to be honest it probably will not be the last (and not just because of the cliffhanger ending). The romance is steamy but it isn’t overpowering. The main focus is the investigation into Sage’s grandmother’s death. Sage begins to believe her Nan was killed by some supernatural force, while Detective Ethan Blade thinks more logically. The blending of these two beliefs from logical serial killer to demon possession is amazing.
There were two elements that bothered me a little. One was the fact that Sage spent a little too much time grieving over Nan. I understand that it was a sudden and tragic death and they were super close, but I felt like she should have gotten angrier and wanted to catch the killer far sooner than she did. The second element was the inconsistency of the family’s popularity. It is established that no one visits the shop or send cards and that Nan’s circle was small. But suddenly everyone loves Nan and her funeral is attended by a multitude of people? It was just a little hard to believe.
Despite these two shortcomings, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and they don’t take away from the novel, just makes you pause and question. I cannot wait to dive into the rest of the series over the next few months and see where the Beyond the Grave series takes us! I give this particular novel 4 pendants.
Other recommendations…
Check out these other great reads!
Scarred by Elizabeth Montgomery, Don’t Wake the Dead by C.C. Wood, Ironic Sacrifice by Brooklyn Ann
I received an ARC or review copy of this book from the author/publisher. All opinions are my own.
Terminal Core by Lynn Steigleder
Science fiction meets the wild west in this stand-alone novel by Lynn Steigleder
I received an ARC or review copy of this book from the author/publisher. All opinions are my own.
Title: Terminal Core
Author: Lynn Steigleder
Series: Stand Alone
Publish Date: April 18, 2016
Genre: Space Western
Source: Provided by Author
Publisher’s Description: Aon, a solid core planet made from the priceless and most dense element in the galaxy, caladium, is under silent attack. Plans are made by off-worlders to dissolve the unbreakable core using crude oil obtained from 19th-century Earth. Once the oil is refined, the byproduct, gasoline, will soften the caladium, allowing it to be collected. It is soon discovered the core is made from living beings created from caladium itself. The off-worlders employ a band of corrupt inhabitants to carry on this work. They find themselves in a constant struggle with a small coalition of Aonians bent on saving their homeworld. Both factions clash with the indestructible core creatures. With horrendous beasts one step behind and deadly pitfalls ahead, the coalition struggles to finish its journey, hoping to ensure their races’ survival.
Luna Lovebooks says…
There were several elements that I liked and enjoyed about this novel. For starters, the world building was very interesting. In many science fiction novels, readers either spend time on Earth with advances in technology, or readers go into space and rarely get a look at what Earth is like. In Terminal Core, readers get both. I really enjoyed the mix of western meets sci-fi. The fact that it was unusual also appealed to me.
I had a hard time following the plot as the book is divided into short chapters and each chapter jumps from character to character. This would normally be fine, but a few times, I was thrown for a loop when it seemed like a character died and then a few chapters later would start talking again. I think if the chapters were a bit longer it would have worked out much better. Some of the book is very telling and not showing.
Many of the characters are well written. However, readers are given little time to explore and learn to love or hate them. There are just too many. Character development is okay, but trying to get to know them and care about what happens to them is difficult because there are so many of them. Many are likable for the most part, and a few you would grow to hate if given the chance.
Even though the plot can be hard to follow, everything does come together in the end. Characters meet up or die and the world is saved. For me, this book was just ok. It jumped around too much, and with so many characters, it was hard to keep track of who was who. For this reason, I give this novel three cores. But don’t let me pdissuade you. If you think the premise sounds good or like Space Westerns, then by all means, pick up this unusual book.
Other recommendations…
Try these other great reads: Dread Nation by Justina Ireland, West by Carys Davies, Taming Chaos by Anna Carven
I received an ARC or review copy of this book from the author/publisher. All opinions are my own.
Dark Lands: War of the Sentinels by Lyn Kelly
The cliffhanger strikes again! The next installment of the Dark Lands series is a fast pace read that leaves you wanting more.
I received an ARC or review copy of this book from the author/publisher. All opinions are my own.
Title: Dark Lands: War of the Sentinels
Author: Lyn I. Kelly
Series: Dark Lands Series 03
Publish Date: September 19, 2017
Genre: YA Dark Fantasy
Source: Provided by Author
Publisher’s Description:Welcome to the Dark Lands…again. In one explosive instant Sundown Thompson has found herself lost in the Dark Lands past, a world with which she is both familiar and estranged. The Willkeeper has no record of her. The Glorian Council does not recognize her. And the names Webb, Raven, Caleb, and Just Jake mean nothing to those around her. In the third book of Lyn I. Kelly’s Dark Lands series Sundown must tenuously navigate between a future she knows all too well and a past not prepared for what is coming. All the while an unrestrained evil known as Hekla, born during the living world’s creation, marches across the centuries intent on entering the Dark Lands and claiming what he perceives as his birthright. With horrors from Sundown’s future finding their way across time, she and her new allies, some familiar, some new, must stop these nightmarish intercessions before the past and future collide and the Dark Lands is irreparably marred.
Luna Lovebooks says…
I really enjoyed the third installment for the Dark Lands series. I think it may be my favorite yet! I really enjoyed getting to look into Glorian’s past. Once again the story is well written and action packed. Kelly does a great job of tying in the previous installments without giving too much away.
Sundown gets her turn to shine in this novel and we learn more about her power over time and the consequences it has for Glorian and the Dark Lands. My favorite new 
character is Lucien although it is a tragic meeting. I also love how we learn about some of the quirks that characters from previous novels have. We are talking impetuous here people! There were times that the time loop – space time continuum thing can be a bit confusing if you think about it too much, but it doesn’t distract from the story.
Overall this is my favorite so far out of the Dark Lands series. It is well written with plenty of action and twists. Of course there has to be another cliff hanger ending that makes you want to know what is going to happen next and the fate that awaits the characters. I can’t wait to see what the next installment has in store for Webb and the residents of the Dark Lands! I give it four time rifts.
Our reviews in this series…
Other recommendations…
Check out these other books taking place in alternate realities: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
I received an ARC or review copy of this book from the author/publisher. All opinions are my own.
Garden of Her Heart by Shanna Hatfield
I am normally not a romance reader. The synopsis for this novel sounded so sweet that I had to give it a try. I am so very glad I did.
I received an ARC or review copy of this book from the author/publisher. All opinions are my own.
Title: Garden of Her Heart
Author: Shanna Hatfield
Series: Hearts of the War Book 01
Publish Date: December 7th, 2016
Genre: Historical Romance
Source: Provided by the publisher
Publisher’s Description: Can forbidden love blossom amid the constraints of war? The moment the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, life shifted for Miko Nishimura. Desperate to reach the Portland Assembly Center for Japanese Americans, she’s kicked off the bus miles from town. Every tick of the clock pushes her closer to becoming a fugitive in the land of her birth. Exhausted, she stumbles to her grandparents’ abandoned farm only to find a dying soldier sprawled across the step. Unable to leave him, she forsakes all else to keep him alive. After crashing his plane in the Battle of the Atlantic, the doctors condemn Captain Rock Laroux to die. Determined to meet his maker beneath a blue sky at his family home, he sneaks out of the hospital. Weary and half out of his mind, he makes it as far as a produce stand he remembers from his youth. Rather than surrender to death, Rock fights a battle of the heart as he falls in love with the beautiful Japanese woman who saves his life. A poignant, sweet romance, Garden of Her Heart proves love can bloom in unlikely places even under the most challenging circumstances.
Luna Lovebooks says…
This a touching read full of strength and courage, fear and hate of one race, love and dreams. This is a beautiful clean read that mixes the injustices done to Japanese-American’s during World War II with the hope that love can be found.
Ms. Hatfield does an incredible job of describing what life was like for many Japanese-American’s during this time. She doesn’t sugar coat it. The research that was done on the era and the confinement of a race of people is evident. You get drawn into Miko’s plight from the very first chapter. The eloquent descriptions of people, places, and situations in the book will take you back in time and make you feel like you are in the time period.
The characters are lifelike and make you feel for them. I loved Miko an American woman who knows where she came from and likes to keep her connections to her heritage – even if it must be hidden. Rock is aptly named as he is Miko’s pillar even as she tries to fight her growing feeling for him. Petey is an adorable neighbor boy who really makes you feel like you are part of the post-Pearl Harbor bombing with his slang and all around good ol’ American boy persona. And the villain is the most despicable character I have read thus far.
This truly is a beautiful story filled with hope even in the midst of so much sadness. Ms. Hatfield shows that she has done her research by creating a lifelike setting and creating characters that fit so well. I have to give this novel 4 stars because it was so good. If you love period pieces or romance you should pick this up.
Other recommendations…
Try out these other historical romance reads: A Loyal Heart by Jodi Hedlund, Ashes on the Moore by Sarah Eden, A Chance at Forever by Melissa Jagears
I received an ARC or review copy of this book from the author/publisher. All opinions are my own.
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