CITY OF LIGHT by Keri Arthur

An Outcast Novel Book One

Signet Select

January 5^th, 2016

978-0-451-47350-9

Fantasy/Paranormal/Urban Fantasy/Dystopian

Mass Market Paperback

Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)
Obtained by Library

4 Hearts



When the species war ended, life as we knew it was over and a new reality became the norm. The species war tore holes in the veil between this world and the next, allowing others to come through, others that were what we called wraiths, demons and death spirits. We were their new hunting grounds. A hundred years flew by and now shifters and humans live together amid artificially lit cities that keep the darkness at bay.

As a breed of humanoid super soldiers called dechet, Tiger has spent her life hiding in the shadows of Central city. She is determined to keep her head down, protect her home and the ghosts who live there until she is drawn into a mystery after saving a little girl on the outskirt of town one night. Now Tiger has to figure out why the wraiths are taking children into the rifts because as far as Tiger and the world knew, wraiths do not like daylight and if they are abducting children in the light of day then the world is in mortal danger. Because if the light they have come to rely on is not protecting them any longer, then being safe is just about to become memory.

Holy moly what a rush CITY OF LIGHT was to read. Ms. Arthur is one of my favorite authors yet I had found her past few books to be off her game a little. Not so with her introduction to her Outcast series. CITY OF LIGHT is a blend of paranormal and fantasy that melds together like toast and jam. She weaves her magic around the reader with an intriguing story line that hooks you right from the start and the characters just fly off the pages. She captivated me until the very end of the book and I couldn’t put the book down, even to go make dinner. What I love about this book was the mixture of characters. You got Tiger, who is a dechet or super soldier that has long thought she is one of the last few surviving dechets out there, Jonas who is as mysterious as they come and his allies who have their own agenda for Tiger. But it was Tiger I really fell in love with. Strong, tough yet melts when she is with her little ones in her bunker. She was a contrast of hard and soft that I just loved. She was quite a contrast that just intrigued me and I really wanted to know more about her. Her interactions with Jonas and his allies just kept me hooked even as the danger went up several notches and the sparks flew between Jonas and Tiger. The world building was phenomenal. This author didn’t dump a bunch of information on you all at once but gradually worked into the story line so that it came out in moments you least expected. It was a welcome change to say the least in my opinion.

CITY OF LIGHT is a wonderful introduction to Ms. Arthur’s new series and as you proceed through the book, you gradually learn what happened to the world and the ramifications on the world today. Ms. Arthur delivers a well written, wild ride in CITY OF LIGHT that completely left me breathless as I flipped pages to see what would happen next for Tiger and the rest of the characters. After reading a few books of this author and felt like I was not as invested as I was in her Riley Jensen series, I was thrilled to find that I just loved this new book and can not wait to see where she takes these characters next because the ending alone will leave you gasping in shock as you race to the computer to see when book two comes out.

If you enjoy a fantasy based dystopian book filled with characters that take your breath away then you need to run and grab this book. I promise you won’t want to sleep much less do anything else until you are done with CITY OF LIGHT.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

 

BACK TO BLACK by A. J. Llewellyn

Publisher: Amber Quill Press
Date published: 10/11/15
ISBN: 978-1-68175-098-9
Gay / Contemporary / Mystery / Detective
E-book
Reviewed by Helen
Weblink: http://www.amberquill.com/store/p/2269-Back-To-Black.aspx
Obtained via publisher.
Rating: 5



 

Gay detective Quinn Novak and his best friend and partner Jackie are seconded to work on a string of robberies in a depressed area of Oahu. He ends up following the bad guys inside a house tented for termite spray and experiences amazing three-way sex with two hot men. Or was he poisoned by the spray? Or is something else actually happening here?


For a novella length story (26k), this fast-paced book has an astounding amount of plot and description as well as a lot of extremely hot sex scenes. We’re given incredible detail about Oahu and where everything is and why. We get to see, sense and taste the surroundings, even the bug spray. Numerous characters are introduced for us and are sketched sufficiently well, although briefly, for us to understand them as people and to see what drives them. Yet there are still numerous fulfilling sex scenes with lots of heat and action. Enormous kudos to the talented A. J. Llewellyn for managing to accomplish so much in such a confined work count. The author is a true professional and gifted writer, and it absolutely shows in this book, the first of a new series called, the “Makaha Beach Detectives” series.

We were introduced to some fascinating characters and I look forward to meeting them again in future stories. This series is definitely on my “must read” list.



This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

The Cross by A.J. Llewellyn

Publisher: Amber Quill Press

Date published: March 2013

ISBN: 978-1-61124-395-6

Genre: M/M contemporary romance

Book format: E-book

Obtained via: Publisher Gift

Reviewed by kelly_book_maven@yahoo.com

 

After ten years in Los Angeles, journalist and native Australian Colin McDermott is back home in Sydney, working at a café and awaiting the green card he needs to return to his life in California. The last thing he expected was a reunion with a man he hasn’t seen in a decade—not since Australia Day a decade ago, a night which Colin ended by tossing cookies all over his date.

Set mover Ronan Hensley never forgot the quirky guy he spent the holiday with ten years ago. After the upchuck debacle Colin refused to take his calls, and Ronan eventually resigned himself to a different relationship. Finally single, Ronan learns via the friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend that Colin is back in Sydney, and decides to arrange a meeting.

The two pick up where they left off, discovering compatibility beyond what either had anticipated. Colin is thrilled with rediscovering Ronan, but what will become of Colin’s plans to return to L.A.?

With a touch of humor, the story unfolds in different locations in Sydney, including King’s Cross, the “posh end of Sydney’s notorious red light district.” Secondary characters enrich the plot, including Colin’s two brothers, his half-demented father, and café owners Frank and Nunio Rebuzzi, Colin’s employers. The occasional café coworker and patron add spice to the mix.

The ending implies Colin is committed to staying in Australia, but from the start the author makes clear Colin’s desperation to return to California, counting down the days in Sydney almost like a prison sentence.

The obvious source of conflict in the tale is Colin’s impending departure via green card, but the issue of the visa never comes up—it’s neither granted nor denied, and the reader doesn’t get to see how Colin would have dealt with this. I would have liked to have seen this play out.

Otherwise, The Cross is a satisfying read, and A.J. Llewellyn doesn’t disappoint. 

This is an objective review

The Cross 

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