Adult Paranormal Book Reviews

Playing with Fire: Tales of an Extraordinary Girl, Bk 1 Twice as Hot: Tales of an Extraordinary Girl, Bk 2

I recently had a lot of time on my hands to catch up on recreational reading. Unfortunately, not a whole lot caught my attention. One book that caught my eye had been lying on my bookshelf forever, just waiting for me to be in the right mood to truly enjoy the world that the author created. I picked it up and was hooked from the first page. Playing with Fire has an incredible heroine that is just an average girl, who is scrabbling like crazy to keep any job she can to pay for her father's retirement home and heart medicine. Unfortunately, she doesn't have a great track record with actually keeping the jobs, but things were rolling along great until a scientist dumped a formula into her grand mocha latte that just happened to change everything! She wakes up with the power to control the four elements (not very well, but that's another story) and a super hot government agent that is there to "neutralize" her. Oh, and there are the bad guys that want to make her do their evil bidding or experiment on her until they can create another just like her. To say the least, she is not happy!!!

This book was great!!! There are tons of scenes that made me laugh out loud, but I kept a genuine concern about Belle, the heroine, and the uncertainty of the relationship that was developing with Rome, the super hot government agent. As soon as I finished this book, I devoured the sequel, Twice as Hot, which was equally entertaining. I would recommend this series for anyone that enjoys the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris and the Jane Jamison series by Molly Harper. These books are a bit sexier than those, but fans will love the action and characters.

Playing with Fire: Tales of an Extraordinary Girl, Bk 1
Product Description:
Twenty-four-year-old barista Belle Jamison dreams of a better job and a decent love life. Until a crazy scientist spikes her mocha latte! Suddenly Belle can wield the four elements—earth, wind, fire and water—with only a thought. Coffee too hot? No problem. Hair in need of a blow-dry? Done.

Gorgeous government agent Rome Masters has been sent to neutralize Belle. But he's not the only one after her. Together they must outrun the rogue agents on their trail and find a way to control her powers. There's just one problem: the sparks Belle and Rome generate are even hotter than the ones flying from her eyes—and with her future on the line, now is the worst possible time to fall in love….

Twice as Hot: Tales of an Extraordinary Girl, Bk 2
Product Description:
Belle Jamison is finally starting to feel like a normal girl again. Her job as a paranormal investigator is going well, she's learned to control her supernatural abilities (mostly) and she's just gotten engaged to Rome Masters, the ultra-sexy operative who once tried to neutralize her!

But planning a wedding is never easy, especially when the bride keeps accidentally torching her dress, the groom returns from a dangerous mission with selective memory loss and the man responsible now wants Belle for himself. With Rome's ex determined to win him back and a new band of supervillains on the horizon, it will take all Belle's powers—plus a little help from her trusty empath sidekick—to save the day, salvage the wedding and prove that true love really does conquer all.

Book Review - Intertwined by Gena Showalter

I'm one of those people that can't really sleep when I stay in a hotel, so I always take a stack of books to keep me company. Last week, I was in Huntsville for the ALLA (Alabama Library Association) Convention - which was awesome - and was able to read a couple of books that I thoroughly enjoyed.
I had previously been unfamiliar with Gena Showalter's work, which includes both adult and young adult audiences and is well know for her action packed paranormal romances. I have to say that I am now a fan after reading Intertwined. The book was such a treat! This book starts with a bang as you immediately meet one of the central characters, sixteen year old Aden Stone, and the other souls living in his head as he has inadvertently entered a cemetery. Which is a major "Oops" due to his ability to raise the dead by simply being around them. I felt a connection with each of the characters that truly made me care about what happened to each one and how each will resolve their problems. This book is the first in a series and the second, Unraveled, will be hitting the shelves August 31st! For more information visit Gena Showalter's website.

From School Library Journal:
Grade 8 Up—Aden Stone is not your typical 16-year-old. Since birth he has had four souls trapped within him that possess special powers: the ability to time travel, raise the dead, possess a body, and predict the future. As a result, he has spent his whole life in and out of mental institutions diagnosed as a violent schizophrenic. Now able to control the voices in his head, Aden has moved to Crossroads, OK, to live in a halfway house for delinquent boys. His goal in life is to find a means to free these souls and at last be at peace. When he meets Mary Ann Gray, she miraculously acts as a neutralizer, and for the first time in his life, he truly feels normal. The two become fast friends, establishing a sibling-type bond. Little do they realize that when they first met, their connection sent a power surge throughout the world drawing every paranormal creature from fairies to vampires to Crossroads on a quest for power. To complicate matters, Aden becomes romantically involved with a vampire princess and Mary Ann with her werewolf bodyguard. Together the teens must figure out a way to protect themselves, and all of humanity. This fast-paced, action-driven plot has many unexpected twists and turns. Well written, with a unique story line and strong characters, Intertwined is fresh and original at a time when there is an overload of paranormal romances on the market.—Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY
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Book Review of Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Last week I read Becca Fitzpatrick's debut novel, Hush, Hush. I have to say that I really, really enjoyed this book. It's a young adult paranormal, yet it manages to stand out from the pack. Now, having said that: I kept having to remind myself that the characters were teenagers. I was sucked into this story from the beginning and stayed up to finish the book in one night. It's edgier than Twilight and goes in a different direction with the paranormal aspect. There are definite dark and dangerous undertones througout the novel. The main characters, Patch and Nora, were well developed, although Patch is more in line with a typical Anne Stuart hero or "gamma hero." I'm still not exactly sure where he falls in the good/evil spectrum... The action was constant, and although I took issue with some of the choices that Nora made --- it made for a fabulous story!!! Seriously, if you are looking for a fun escapist read - this is the book for you!

From Product Description:

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment. But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel. For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.