The Iron Trial by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black

The Iron Trial

by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black

 

 

 

Most kids would do anything to pass the Iron Trial.

Not Callum Hunt. He wants to fail.

All his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he succeeds at the Iron Trial and is admitted into the Magisterium, he is sure it can only mean bad things for him.

So he tries his best to do his worst - and fails at failing.

Now the Magisterium awaits him. It's a place that's both sensational and sinister, with dark ties to his past and a twisty path to his future.

The Iron Trial is just the beginning, for the biggest test is still to come . . .


I had a blast reading this book.  It wasn't perfect and I really didn't care.  I just had so much fun reading it.
I liked Callum as a character.  He's sarcastic and a little awkward.  It made for a lot of humor all the way throughout the book.
A lot of people are concerned about the similarities between this book and Harry Potter.  Yes, there are some similarities but after a while it's not very obvious unless your entire reason for reading The Iron Trial is to find those similarities. 

I've never read anything by Cassandra Clare but I do enjoy Holly Black's books.  I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me a review copy.

Force of Attraction by D.D. Ayres

Force of Attraction

by D.D. Ayres

 

A seasoned K-9 officer with the police in Maryland, Cole Jamison has left her old life behind her. With a new home and a new partner—a protective canine named Hugo—Cole is ready for fresh challenges. A crucial position on an important drug task force is exactly what she wants…until she discovers her gorgeous, infuriating ex-husband will be the DEA agent in charge.

FORCE OF ATTRACTION

Agent Scott Lucca may be a pro when it comes to undercover assignments, but this job is daunting even for him. Posing as a happy couple on the dog competition circuit means he and Cole need to get a lot closer than they’ve been in years. Playing a live-in couple should seem like a walk in the park compared to tracking a brutal criminal, but suddenly nothing could be more dangerous than the passionate fire they’ve rekindled…

 

 

The romance in this book was amazing!  I don't usually like to read books where the MC's have a past because I've always thought that it gives the reader less time to get to know the characters individually.  That wasn't the case here.  The characterization was very strong and you could almost feel the tension between Scott and Cole.  I really loved them together.

 

I was a little disappointed that we didn't get to know the K-9s more, but with all that was going on there probably wasn't time to devote page after page to them.  Still, there was enough that I got a sense of their personalities.

 

You can't say D.D Ayres doesn't do her homework.  There was so much info about K-9s and their training, plus undercover operations, that everything felt very real and seamless.  Very well-done.

 

I'd highly recommend this book to fans of romantic suspense and to animal lovers.

 

 

Thanks to the publisher, St. Martin's Press, and to Netgalley for the free review copy.

 

 

 

 

 

Irresistible Force by D.D. Ayres

Irresistible Force

by D.D. Ayres

 

 

 

When adrenaline runs high, so does the force of desire…

For Shay Appleton, it’s love at first sight when a gorgeous stray dog is brought into the animal shelter where she works. She just knows he’ll make a terrific watch dog—and with an abusive ex who won’t let go, she needs all the protection she can get. But Shay never suspected that her new pet is actually a trained police K-9 named Bogart—until Bogart’s even more gorgeous, human partner shows up on her doorstep.

Officer James Cannon is one tall, strong alpha male who’s convinced that Shay stole his dog. But once he gets closer to the suspect, he realizes that this stubborn, independent woman not only needs a guard dog, she needs James as well. It seems that someone from her past is stalking her, and threatening her life. When danger meets desire, will James risk his career and his best friend…to protect the woman who’s stolen his heart?


There is something about a man who loves animals...
This was a thrilling book.  I loved the characters and the interactions between them.  The author did a great job of describing how K-9 officers' train and work together, without delving into so much detail that the reader is swamped.  The writing was very well done.
The characters were well-defined and interesting.  They had a lot of personality.  Bogart, the K-9, was one of the best animal characters I've read in a while. 
I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who likes romantic suspense.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the free review copy!

A Pretty Mess by Carla Caruso

A Pretty Mess

by Carla Caruso

 

Sometimes, to come clean, you've got to get your hands dirty ...

Celeste Pretty, a self-confessed neat freak, has found the job she was born to do: a professional organizer, de-cluttering people's homes and workplaces. Her new business gets off to a cracking start when she lands her first client, health and fitness guru Natalia Samphire, in the well-heeled suburb of Astonvale. But things get messy at Natalia's mansion when Celeste finds a blackmail note and other mysterious items. And then there's Lenny Muscat, the sexy builder renovating the place, whose constant presence is muddling Celeste's usually organized brain.

When things get decidedly suspicious at the mansion, she and Lenny have to team up to investigate. But will Celeste emerge with her heart and professional reputation unscathed? 


I'm not normally a huge cozy mystery fan but this book was chosen as a book of the month read in my Goodreads group and I wanted to give it a try.

I didn't connect very well with Celeste.  Honestly, one thing I do not do well is clean and organize.  I was not born with that particular skill set.  Celeste's desire to clean everyone's home and work space had me shaking my head in wonder.
Otherwise, it was a good book.  A quick read with more romance than plot, it would be a good book for anyone who likes cozy mysteries and romance with sexy contractors (or builders, if you're Australian).  Or if you like to clean. Ok...especially if you like to clean.

  This book was chosen for an NBRC group book of the month and the author was kind enough to give our interested members free review copies.  Thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley. 

The Room by Jonas Karlsson

The Room

by Jonas Karlsson

 

 Bjorn is a compulsive, exacting bureaucrat who discovers a secret room at the government office where he works--a secret room that no one else in his office will acknowledge. When Bjorn is in his room, what his coworkers see is him standing by the wall and staring off into space looking dazed, relaxed, and decidedly creepy. Bjorn's bizarre behavior eventually leads his coworkers to try to have him fired, but Bjorn will turn the tables on them with help from his secret room. Author Jonas Karlsson doesn't leave a word out of place in this brilliant, bizarre, delightful take on how far we will go--in a world ruled by conformity--to live an individual and examined life.


I found myself oddly charmed by this book. 
Bjorn is such an unlikeable character at first but his inability to understand social cues and his obsessive desire to be seen as a hard worker and a valuable employee made me look at him in a different light.  He's a man who tries so hard to be everything to everyone that he ends up making enemies of them all.  In the end he's a very lonely man who uses his work as a shield.

This book ambled along at a slower pace than I'm used to and I got the feeling that it vas very deliberate on the part of the author.  I liked the story and loved the ending. 
I'd recommend it to anyone who feels like an office drone or just enjoys an unusual story.

Thanks to Blogging for Books for the free review copy.

Venomoid by J.A. Kossler

Venomoid

Night Code Saga #1

by J.A. Kossler

 

In Book One of The Night Code Saga, Venomoid, paranormal creatures are governed by the IPO, a secret police force that ensures vampires, zombies, and others follow all required public safety regulations. Among the officers is 17 year-old Lorin, theIPO's most skilled cadet. His co-workers distrust him, however, and in extreme cases barely tolerate him. As a vampire, he must follow the rules -- including turning a blind eye to the IPO's practice of torturing prisoners -- or face death by sunlight exposure.

On one intense dragon-hunting mission, Lorin encounters Lex, a handsome but flesh-eating paranormal who is quickly intrigued by the young vampire. Lorin fears this hunter, but as an unexpected friendship unfolds between the two, an even more unlikely romance blossoms. The problem is Lex is on the IPO's radar, and when they capture him for scientific experimentation, Lorin must risk his life to overthrow the organization he's always feared in order to save his love.  

 

 

 

 

The synopsis for this book was what pulled me in enough to give it a try.  Who wouldn't want to read a book about a romance between a vampire and a zombie?  Sounds awesome! 

Unfortunately it just didn't hold my interest at all and I kept kind of hoping it would be over soon.  The main characters, Lorin and Lex, didn't have much personality beyond the first few chapters.  I was hoping for more and I was disappointed. 

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the free review copy.