Showing posts with label novella. Show all posts
Showing posts with label novella. Show all posts

Saturday, 7 July 2012

Review: Doubtless by Cat Grant

Title: Doubtless
Author: Cat Grant
Series: Priceless #2
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

50 pages
Published July 16th 2012 by Riptide Publishing
ARC received from the publisher

Goodreads | Author | Publisher | Buy It

Not usually one for romance novellas, I give this one a try because I wanted a break from the countless YA novels I've been reading lately. My usual complaint is that they contain only sex and no story - but luckily that wasn't the case with Doubtless.

Steve has everything - a big apartment, an expensive car, a great job.. But there is no love in his life. When he encounters a male escort at a bar at night, he learns something about himself.

This novella is short, but sweet. I instantly liked Steve, who is humble and slightly awkward, but great at his job. He is a sad and confused guy yet stays away from being whiny. Basically this story is about his transformation.

I had no clue there was a book that comes before Doubtless, that tells the story of his best friend Connor. If you've read that one, Priceless, you already know this story won't end on a HEA. I didn't know that, so the ending of this book was quite a surprise for me. I really liked it though, it was sweet and positive without being gooey or clichéd.

There is some sex in Doubtless, but it doesn't overpower the story. There is a fade-out at one point, and the rest of it isn't too graphic or icky. I was quite impressed by the author's writing, and I'd love to read another book by her.

Blurb

Loving your best friend is hard . . . especially when he's marrying someone else.

On the surface, Steve Campbell seems to have it all: a beautiful home, a snazzy car, and a dream job as one of the country’s top 3-D optics researchers. But underneath, he’s restless and dissatisfied, tired of empty encounters with leggy lab assistants and endless evenings alone.

A chance meeting with a handsome escort lifts Steve’s spirits and opens his eyes to his long-repressed attraction to men—and his love for his best friend and business partner, Connor Morrison.

Connor might’ve loved Steve like that once, but now it’s too late for their happily ever after; Connor’s about to ask his boyfriend to marry him. Fortunately, it's never too late to learn about yourself, and maybe Steve can find a happy ending on his own.

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Saturday, 10 March 2012

Review: Heart of Perdition by Selah March

Heart of Perdition by Selah March
2 out of 5 stars

Published by Carina Press
ARC received through Netgalley

Heart of Perdition is another steampunk novella published by Carina Press, but this one had a different feel to it than for example Photographs & Phantoms or Like Clockwork. It's a bit darker, more Gothic novel than mystery. There are ancient curses and spooky settings. Although it is a romance, it did felt a little bit lighter on romance than the average Carina Press novel.

I loved the idea of this book. I was kind of amazed by how complex of a story Ms March was building. There was a lot of intrigue and tension, and I started wondering how she would tie all the ends up in such a short story. This is where the low rating comes in - she doesn't tie all the ends up. She doesn't tie a single one of them. There is no redemption, no solution, no confrontation. Just when I think something interesting is about to happen, I see the last sentence. "...To be continued".

Which was terribly lame. It just felt like the author couldn't come op with a handy solution to figure everything out, so she just stamped on a "to be continued" so no one could get angry about it. I've contacted the nice people at Carina Press and they told me that the second part in the series is being currently written, and it will probably release in 2013.

I would still be interested to read the sequel to Heart of Perdition, because I did like the feel of the story. But as a story itself, this was a bit disappointing.

Blurb

As the nineteenth century draws to a close, James Weston, Earl of Falmouth, is dying along with it. Despite living in an age of airships and automatons, even London's finest physicians cannot cure the young man's ailing heart. His last hope lies in retrieving a powerful artifact from the remote island home of an eccentric scientist's daughter.

Elspeth Shaw prefers her solitary life to the tragic results that come from mixing in society. Elspeth is cursed: every mortal being who forms an attachment to her dies a horrible death. Yet when the doomed Lord Falmouth arrives in search of the very artifact that blights her, she hasn't the will to refuse. But the price for cheating death may be more than any human can pay...

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Saturday, 10 December 2011

Review: The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer
(Twilight #3.5)
3 out of 5 stars

Published by Little Brown Books
This review may contain spoilers for the previous books in the series

I'm not a big fan of Twilight, I don't make a secret of that. I think Meyer is pushing the boundaries by still releasing Twilight stories (i.e. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, Midnight Sun). That this little novella is for sale for over fifteen dollars is beyond me.

But I was curious, I was on vacation with nothing to do but read in the sun, so I gave Miss Bree Tanner a try.

Turns out, Bree's life is quite boring. This is 150 pages of Bree doing this, Bree doing that. Bree is thirsty, Bree drinking some blood. Everybody hates Bree, so Bree is hiding in a corner. Bree finds an instant love interest, boy out of the blue likes Bree. There is a big mystery going on, and Bree solves it!

The writing in The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner is quite al right, I don't really have something to complain about there. Meyer is a very clear writer, making her books accessible for the general public. The problem I'm having is that her books are empty. There is no meat, no substance. I feel like we're watching a puppet-show. The characters move about a lot, they tell a story, but in the end, they're only puppets.

I don't understand why Miss Meyer thought Bree's was a story that needed to be told. I read the post on her site about it, but I still don't understand. I'm all for the underdog's perspective, but Bree just doesn't have anything interesting to bring. I would have enjoyed this novella more if it had been from Riley's perspective. Now that would have been interesting.

I would recommend The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner only for the hardcore Twilight fans. For the casual reader this novella has nothing to bring, especially not for it's insane price.

Blurb

Fans of The Twilight Saga will be enthralled by this riveting story of Bree Tanner, a character first introduced in Eclipse, and the darker side of the newborn vampire world she inhabits.
In another irresistible combination of danger, mystery, and romance, Stephenie Meyer tells the devastating story of Bree and the newborn army as they prepare to close in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, following their encounter to its unforgettable conclusion.

Bree Tanner can barely remember life before she had uncannily powerful senses, superhuman reflexes and unstoppable physical strength. Life before she had a relentless thirst for blood... life before she became a vampire.
All Bree knows is that living with her fellow newborns has few certainties and even fewer rules: watch your back, don't draw attention to yourself and, above all, make it home by sunrise or die. What she doesn't know: her time as an immortal is quickly running out.

Then Bree finds an unexpected friend in Diego, a newborn just as curious as Bree about their mysterious creator, whom they know only as "her". As they come to realize that the newborns are pawns in a game larger than anything they could have imagined, Bree and Diego must choose sides and decide whom to trust. But when everything you know about vampires is based on a lie, how do you find the truth?

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Saturday, 3 December 2011

Review: The Strange Case of Finley Jayne by Kady Cross

The Strange Case of Finley Jayne by Kady Cross
(Steampunk Chronicles #0.5)
4 out of 5 stars

Novella - 78 pages
Published by Harlequin Teen

Steampunk seems to be becoming the flavour of the year. Last year we had a big explosion of dystopian books, the second even more desperate than its predecessor. This year, steampunk is trendy, and a LOT of authors jump on the trendy-train and cook up some steampunk. For some authors, it just doesn't work. As I pointed out in my review of Photographs & Phantoms, some books just have some elements, but don't really immerge themselves into the genre.

The Stange Case of Finley Jayne however, was a pleasant surprise for me. Ms Cross managed to put a lot of detail into this short novella, making the steampunk setting believable. She describes several wonders of the steampunk age, including steam-driven mechanical horses and other inventions. Will it satisfy the hard-core fan? Probably not. It was better than I expected of a short story though.

What I liked about Finley is that she thinks like a real person. When she is being judgemental, she thinks "Maybe I'm just being judgemental, but...". I liked such insight in a main character, especially after reading so much stupid heroines that I just wanted to smack very hard.

She is like ultra-super-strong, so she is automatically kick-ass. She can jump out of buildings without twisting an ankle and punch your teeth out of your mouth without second thought. I haven't seen this kind of super power in a long time, and I'm looking forward to see why she is this way.

One of the things that particularly bothered me is how Ms Cross uses Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein in this story. While apparently, she hasn't read it herself. Maybe watched the movie or something. Frankenstein doesn't conduct his experiments in a castle. He really, really doesn't. I don't like it when classics are abused like this.

And now I know I'm being terribly corny, but the tiny history-freak was crying out loud when Finley put on a short skirt. A SHORT skirt in Victorian times?! You'd be hanged, thrown of a ship and maybe burned! Even prostitutes in that time wore long skirts. Finley tells us its "modern" and "fashionable". Well, I need a lot more persuasion to believe that.

To conclude a review that is almost longer than the story itself, The Strange Case of Finley Jayne is a very enjoyable steampunk young-adult short-story. It's a prequel to the first book in a series, The Girl in the Steel Corset. I'd like to read more about Finley's adventures, and that cover is very pretty, so I'll probably give it a try!

I believe you can still get this novella for free. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Blurb

Finley Jayne knows she's not 'normal'. Normal girls don't lose time, or have something inside them that makes them capable of remarkably violent things. Her behavior has already cost her one job, so when she's offered the lofty position of companion to Phoebe, a debutante recently engaged to Lord Vincent, she accepts, despite having no experience. Lord Vincent is a man of science with his automatons and inventions, but Finley is suspicious of his motives where Phoebe is concerned. She will do anything to protect her new friend, but what she discovers is even more monstrous than anything she could have imagined…

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Saturday, 26 November 2011

Short Review: The Debutante's Dilemma by Elyse Mady

The Debutante's Dilemma by Elyse Mady
3 out of 5 stars

Novella
Published by Carina Press

Little romance novella set in Regency England. Debutante Miss Cecelia Hastings is being courted by two of the most eligible bachelors of the whole empire. Yet before she can make a choice between the two of them, she has to ask them something. Something of the utmost discretion.

Even though I generally dislike love-triangles, I got this novella for free, so I figured I'd give The Debutante's Dilemma a try. Because the choosing between the two men was actually the focus of the story, it felt less of a convenient "hey, let's make our heroine's love life a more exciting!" but a genuine plot. It fits the time period, where marriage is on the top of a girls mind.

Because this book is so short, there is not much time to have some more in-depth info about the characters, and I had a hard time to keep Cecelia's suitors apart. For me their character was pretty much interchangeable, not having seen them enough to remember their distinct personalities.

The resolution of the plot was rather rushed, just a mention afterwards. I myself didn't even get it at first, because there's just some hinting at, and no direct description. Ms Mady uses a lot of fancy words, which fits the book, but doesn't make it easier to read. As English is not my first language, I was glad my Kindle had a dictionary function, or I probably would have put this book down.

It's a historical M/F/M novella, available for a very decent price. If you're into this kind of books, you will probably like The Debutante's Dilemma.

Blurb

One woman in search of passion
Miss Cecilia Hastings has achieved what every young lady hopes for during her first London season…in duplicate! She’s caught the eye of not one but two of England’s most eligible bachelors. Both Jeremy Battersley, Earl of Henley, and Richard Huxley, Duke of Wexford are handsome, wealthy and kind, the epitome of proper gentlemen. But Cecelia doesn’t want proper, she wants passion. So she issues a challenge to her suitors: a kiss, so that she may choose between them.


Two men in love with the same woman
Friends since childhood, and compatriots on the battlefields of Spain, falling for the same woman has set Jeremy and Richard at odds, and risks destroying their friendship forever. But a surprising invitation to a late-night garden tryst soon sets them on a course that neither of them could have anticipated. And these gentlemen quickly discover that love can take many forms…

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Sunday, 4 September 2011

Review: Photographs & Phantoms by Cindy Spencer Pape

Photographs & Phantoms by Cindy Spencer Pape
(Gaslight Chronicles #1.5)
3 out of 5 stars

50 pages - Novella
Published by Carina Press

A sweet little novella set in 19th century Brighton, England.

Photographs & Phantoms is pretty much your standard romance short story. There is the girl with the problem, in this case a ghost that seems to target clients she takes photographs of, and there is the awesome-wizard-guy that comes to save her. And while he's playing Superinvestigator, they fall in love.

The mystery was actually pretty good, I liked how everything came together in the end. Although I think the ending was quite abrupt, I would have liked to see a few more pages about the how's and why's.

While being advertised as a steampunk romance, this book was a little bit too light on the steampunk references for my taste. This book could just as well been set in the "ordinary" 19th century, it wouldn't have changed a thing. Luckily, I like normal historical novels too, so this was an entertainingly quick afternoon's read.


Blurb


Brighton, 1855
As a member of the Order of the Round Table, Kendall Lake is overqualified to be investigating strange phenomena at a seaside photography studio. But since the photographer is related to the Order's most powerful sorcerer, Kendall reluctantly boards a dirigible to Brighton.

Amy Deland is haunted by a shadow that appears in some of her recent portraits. In each case, the subject died within days of the sitting. Does she have her grandmother's gift of foresight, or has she somehow caused the deaths?

As Kendall and Amy search for answers, their investigation draws them together in a most improper way—but it seems the evil presence in the studio is determined to keep them apart…

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