A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle-Review by Melanie

  

Genre: classical, crime fiction, detective fiction, mystery

Series: first book of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries

  

 Rating: 4/5 stars

 Synopsis: 

Dr. Watson has retired from the military, after serving in Afghanistan and India. He needs a place to stay, and through a friend, is introduced to Sherlock Holmes. They end up rooming together in a London apartment. Watson finds Holmes to be a very interesting character. Holmes is a detective who has finally gotten his first case, and Watson finds himself more and more intrigued as he helps Holmes unravel the mystery. 

Review:

I wasn't really expecting to like this book. To be honest if I'd seen it at a library or at a friend's house, I probably wouldn't have given it a second glance. However, if was on my summer reading list, so I didn't exactly have a choice. Once I started reading, I couldn't really put it down. I went through that first part in a few days. Murder mysteries have always intrigued me, and this was no exception. It was fast paced and beautifully written, and I practically ate it up. 

And then I got to the second part. 

You see, A Study in Scarlet consists of two stories that are loosely connected. So, I left Baker Street and London behind and, for part two, was transported to...Utah! This second part, while still enjoyable, was not as exciting as I had hoped. It just didn't hold my interest as much as the first part did. There wasn't quite as much "mystery" but it was pretty interesting. 

Overall, this was one of the most interesting classics that I've read. Though the structure of the novel was a little strange, I did end up liking it as a whole. I did gravitate towards the more mysterious and exciting first part, but as a whole the novel was very entertaining. The dialogue was humorous, and the characters were engaging.  I plan on reading the other Sherlock Holmes books, thanks to this one. 

Upcoming review:

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (3rd and final book on my summer reading list)

Betrayal Countdown!

The priestess looked up at the star-filled sky. “The chieftain of Dún Fiáin upheld his word and sent warriors to help protect this village. It is time for me to uphold mine.”

~Shiovra
Betrayal, Book Two of The Priestess Trilogy

Haven't read book one, Defiance, yet? Read the first three chapters for free here on deviantART 
and you can read reviews on Goodreads!
 

Review: The Goddess Legacy (The Goddess Test #2.5) by Aimee Carter

For millennia we've caught only glimpses of the lives and loves of the Gods and Goddesses on Olympus. Now Aimee Carter pulls back the curtain on how they became the powerful, petty, loving and dangerous immortals that Kate Winters knows.

Calliope/Hera represented consistency and yet had a husband who never matched her faithfulness....

Ava/Aphrodite was the goddess of love and yet commitment was a totally different deal....

Persephone was urged to marry one man, yet longed for another....

James/Hermes loved to make trouble for others-but never knew true loss before....

Henry/Hades' solitary existence had grown to wearisome to continue. But meeting Kate Winter gave him new hope....

Five original novellas of love, loss and longing and the will to survive throughout the ages.

Genre: Young Adult / Mythology / Romance

3 out of 5 Stars

Review: While I enjoyed several of these novellas, over all this was a disappointment. I think the biggest problem with this series is that it really should have been written for adults. The material is very mature and when the author tries to tone down the inappropriate behavior for young adults every character ends up reading like a fifteen-year-old. Even Walter (Zeus).

The Goddess Queen: This was an interesting look into Calliope's character and the reader is lead to feel a lot of sympathy for her situation. However the choices she made were wrong and the novella almost reads like the author is trying to 'talk' you out of thinking of Calliope as a villain.

The Lovestruck Goddess: This novella was just...bad. I guess it succeeded in sticking to the myths (something many reviews criticize this series for). But it just felt weird for the whole novella to be about Ava cheating on her husband and how that is somehow okay because she tells him when shes cheating? I found that creepy and ugghh...not right. A serious 'what the heck?' moment ensued. Also, Ava reads like a spoiled teenager which gets rather annoying.

Goddess of the Underworld: If you didn't already despise Persephone, you will after reading this novella. This novella was incredibly despressing. I mean, I know the myth of Persephone isn't all that happy but honestly you couldn't have perked it up a bit for the kiddies? I also still don't really understand why Persephone didn't like Hades/Henry in Carter's version. In this novella she had a very charmed life with him and he practically worshiped the ground she walked on. The seemingly only reason given is that he disgusts her somehow...as I said it didn't make much sense at all.

God of Thieves: While this wasn't neccesarily a bad novella, it was well written but seemed rather pointless. I don't see what this adds to the over all story, other than the bits of history between Henry and James.

God of Darkness: This novella wasn't too bad. It explained Henry's reasoning behind not wanting to get to know Kate at first. But other than that it was just sort of depressing and at times strange, the way

Overall this was decent, but don't worry about missing it. You can fully comprehend the third book without feeling as though you missed something.



~ Important Links ~
Read my review of book #1
Read my review of book #2
Read my review of book #3
Find this book on goodreads
Find this book on amazon
Learn more on the authors website

About the Reviewer: M. A. Bronson is a bookworm, book reviewer, and aspiring author. Since 2012, she has been reviewing indie and traditionally published books at runawaypen.com. She spends her time reading, drinking tea, writing, and getting excited for the new Hobbit movie. M lives in Upstate New York and works at a library, happily surrounded by thousands of stories. Connect with her on twitter and instagram @theprincessmab

Oracle of Delphi Blog Tour ~ Book Review: Prophecy of Solstice's End (Oracle of Delphi #3) by Diantha Jones

 Summer solstice is here. let the games begin.

Nothing but lies (some of them her own) and deceit have brought Chloe to Olympus for the Solstice Olympic Games. As the Oracle and the special guest of the King of Myth, Chloe becomes immersed in a life of unfathomable luxury, taunting history, and overwhelming excitement. Though scheming and untrustworthy the gods remain on their best behavoir as tension and anticipation builds around the outcome of the Quest of the Twelve Labors, the deadliest of the Games. All seems well on the celestial front...until athletes start turning up dead and a philosopher missing for months returns with a most terrifying story...

But that's not all.

As Strafford confronts his troubled past and more is learned about the Great Unknown Prophecy, Chloe grows close to another, setting off a chain of events that will bring her face-to-face with a truth that will rock both of her worlds to the core.

And it'll all happen before Solstice's end....

Genre: Young Adult / Mythology / Fantasy / Romance

Review: The best Oracle of Delphi novel yet! 

I'll start with Chloe and Strafford, because lets be honest they are one of the cutest YA couples ever. That's probably the only time Strafford Law could be called cute...hehe, though I don't think Chloe would mind. The chemistry between these two is off the charts, they are so in love you can't help but love them, too. Their relationship faced some pretty intense challenges in this novel and watching them grow, and grow closer was awesome. I find myself rooting for them and many other characters as thought they are real people. 

I loved that author choose to alternate between different characters, it keep things interesting, especially when it comes of Strafford and Chloe. It helped that you could see into each character as their relationship unfolded rather than just the woman's side as most YA novels are. 

This series is beautifully written, the mythology is expertly told and everything about the books draws you in and doesn't let go. That being said the mystery was upped in this novel and I just keeping 'turning the pages' of my kindle faster and faster. Slowly the secrets are revealed and enemies become friends and the reverse. 

And Torrent, oh, Torrent. I predicted it in my review of the second book and it has come true. I love him and hate him. But he is definitely one of the most fascinating characters of the novel. Though Zeus, Apollo, the Fates, and practically every other character didn't disappoint either. ;) 

Also I have come to the conclusion that Diantha is evil. The ending was just...crazy! I loved it and hated it all at the same time. Though the hate is only because I have to wait until next year for the fourth book. Noooooo. 

But wait I will because this is a series too fantastic to miss! 

Links:

Amazon | Barnes&Noble | Goodreads

About the Author:

Diantha Jones was born the day thousands of turkeys sacrificed their lives to fill millions of American bellies

on November 22, which also happened to be Thanksgiving Day (Her mother says she owes her a turkey).

She is a Journalism graduate who wants to be a career novelist (of books, not Facebook posts). When not writing or working, she is reading on her Nook, being hypnotized by Netflix or on a mission to procure french fires. 

The Oracle of Delphi fantasy series is her first series. She is also the author of Mythos: Stories from Olympus, a companion series, and there is another fantasy series in the works. She also writes (new) adult fantasy/paranormal romance under a name A. Star. Invasion (an Alien Romance) is her first title released under this pen name. Future releases under A. Star include, the Love and Steampunk series, the Purr Inc stories and more. 

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Giveaway: http://www.diantha-jones.com/p/giveaways.html

Review: Wicked Kiss (Nightwatchers #2) by Michelle Rowen

My kiss can kill.

I used to be ordinary Samantha Day, but that's changed. Now, after one dark kiss from a dangerous boy, I can steal someone's soul...or their life. If I give in to the constant hunger inside me, I hurt anyone I kiss. If I don't...I hurt myself.

Bishop is the one whose kiss I crave most, but if I kiss him, I'll kill him. Then there's another boy, one I can't hurt. One whose kiss seems to miraculously quell my hunger. They're both part of a team of angels and demons that's joined forces in my city to fight a mysterious rising darkness, an evil that threatens everyone I know and love. I just wonder if I'll be able to help Bishop-or if I'm just another part of the darkness he's sworn to destroy....

Genre: Young Adult / Paranormal / Romance

Review: This book was amazing! 

Bishop is the perfect YA romantic interest. He is bad, but not over the top bad, he is mysterious and yet so completely in love with the heroine. The relationship between Samantha and him keeps you turning pages faster than the fascinating angel/grey/demon story-line, which by the way is genius. 

Kraven is my dream book crush! I love him so much! He is snarky, sarcastic, dark and dreamy. One of the best bad boys I've ever read. He brought so much excitement and interest to the relationship between Bishop and Samantha. The love-triangle was expertly written.  

I did have one problem with this novel. It felt like the second, third and possibly the fourth book compressed and sole as one. Which threw everything off and just made it an overload of information that came at the reader too fast. 

The ending was also incredibly disappointing, it was too stereotypical happily-ever-after. I felt that with all the drama, mystery and intrigue that the author had taken the time to put into this series that the ending was just not what I expected. 

Can I say personally how much I can't stand the two book series? I mean it's not really a stand alone novel, it's not quite a series, what the heck is it? 

My theory about this is that the publisher (stupidly) decided to end this series and not publish anymore. At least I hope....

Despite that I still give this book 5 stars because Bishop and Kraven are just plain dreamy! 

~ Important Links ~

Read my review of book #1

Find this book on goodreads

Find this book on amazon

Learn more on the authors website

About the Reviewer: M. A. Bronson is a bookworm, book reviewer, and aspiring author. Since 2012 she has been reviewing indie and traditionally published books at runawaypen.com. She spends her time reading, drinking tea, gaming, writing, and ardently shipping Outlaw Queen. Connect with her on twitter and instagram @theprincessmab

The Library by T. M. Smith COVER REVEAL!!!

The Library cover reveal HTML: Just what happened in the library after Cirian put Rian on the desk and tore his shirt off?

Who came out on 'Top' in Secrets and Ice cream? Aiyan or Kaden??

What exactly did the birds witness when Tanis slammed into Raven?

All these questions and more will be revealed in 'The Library'.

** Warning ** The Opposites series by T.M. Smith is an adult, dystopian majorly M/M series with a dash of M/F and a touch of F/F to keep the balance!

The Library is a short story containing deleted and/or extended scenes from Opposites. My fans ask and they shall receive! I was flooded with questions about these three scenes specifically after releasing Opposites. Tentative release date is September of 2013, barring no complications. I have to give huge props to my cover artist extraordinaire, T.L. Shreffler of Runaway Book Designs. She's also the genius behind my blog design. If you are looking for a cover artist or someone to re-vamp your blog/website, you should give her a looksee.

 

If you haven't read Opposites yet, grab your copy and get ready for The Library before it releases. Look for more information on book 2, Appearances, in the coming months as well.

Be sure to enter the giveaway below as well for some cool Opposites swag. There is an opportunity to get xx entries for the giveaway if you've read/reviewed Opposites, see details in the rafflecopter below. If you haven't there is plenty of time to grab your copy, read and review then grab those xx entries before the giveaway ends in September!

 

STALKER LINKS

Smith on Facebook + Twitter + Blogger + Goodreads + Amazon

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway