Book Review: Followers by Megan Angelo

Followers

by Megan Angelo
My rating: 4 of 5 hearts

Synopsis:

An electrifying story of two ambitious friends, the dark choices they make and the profound moment that changes the meaning of privacy forever…

Followers traces the paths of 3 women as they wind through time toward each other, and toward a cataclysmic event that sends America into lasting upheaval. At turns wry and tender, bleak and hopeful, this darkly funny story reminds us that even if we obsess over famous people we’ll never meet, what we really crave is genuine human connection. 

Review:

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'm not sure where to start with this one. I liked this book very much although it did throw some hurdles my way. I initially passed this book over twice when requesting titles from NetGalley. The cover art didn't entice me; after just one glance, I had already decided that the book was women's literature -- not my favorite. The cover's saving grace, and what drew me in, was the Austin Powers - fembot flair I felt pulsing from it. Once I waded through the pink and purple and read the description, I knew that I had to read this book. Much to my surprise, it was an okay balance of women's literature meets science fiction (light).

There were moments where I felt I had to "chew" through certain passages. Some sections were very verbose, consistent with classic chick-lit. As I became rooted in the story, it was very easy to get over the random bits of wordiness. The details served to build a rich environment and didn't slow down the storyline. The book hosts a group of well-developed characters that you love and love to hate - not mutually exclusive. We encounter three very different women (Orla, Floss, and Marlow) who struggle very publicly with some intensely intimate issues during a technological catastrophe/breakdown/takeover. Orla and Marlow act as narrators for the story, each retelling their experiences set in drastically different times. Incidentally, Ms. Angelo does a great job at separating and defining each timeline; happily, there were no continuity mishaps.

Book Review: Tangled Threat by Heather Graham

Tangled Threat

by Heather Graham
My rating: 3 of 5 hearts

Synopsis:

Twelve years after a horrific murder, a killer reemerges on the secluded grounds of a vacation resort. Strangely enough, all the same payers are back in town, including Maura Antrim and Brock McGovern. A teenaged couple when the original murder happened, Maura (a renown videographer) and Brock (an FBI agent), are thrown back to together to with this new rash of crimes. They quickly find that all the denied emotions of the past have not faded. In a race to find two missing women and solve this decade long mystery, they reconnect to face the evil forces that initially tore their relationship apart.

Review:

I received this book as an ARC from the author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I selected this book as soon as I read through the synopsis. I recently finished my first book of this genre (romantic thriller), and I've been dying to find another. The cover also played a small part in this selection. I've always enjoyed a good serial killer or a police procedural crime novel. Therefore, both the police tape and the color scheme of the book cover drew me in. I was also dying to find out what incendiary mystery the handsome central figure had in his past. Maybe I'm the only one who would find a smoking secret in a red-yellow gradient; but hey! Where there are flames, there's fire… or something thereabouts.

Book Review: Kingdom of Exiles by Maxym Martineau

Kingdom of Exiles

by Maxym M. Martineau
My rating: 3 of 5 hearts

Synopsis:

Leena, a young beast master, is exiled from her native homelands because of a grand "misunderstanding" planned and spearheaded by her ex-fiancé (Wynn). She is forced to do many abhorrent things to survive. After years of skirting the line and accruing quite a bit of negative karma; we encounter Leena being targeted by a group of nefarious assassins (the Cruor). She quickly proves herself to be pretty daring by attempting to barter for her life with sed group of assassins. The book then follows Leena as she and the leader of the Cruor (Noc) spiral into a world filled with cruel truths and longing for each other.

Review:

I received this book as an ARC from the author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I liked this book, although I think that I wanted to like it a bit more than I did. Being a cover art geek, I found the cover to be very enticing. If you've ever read a review by me, you'll soon realize that I'm a sucker for a blue and purple scheme. That coupled with the badass looking central female figure AND the beast silhouette in the background had me clamoring for the book. It seemed that the story would be full of mystery, magic, and some epic magically infused battle scenes. I learned, yet again, that my imagination sometimes sets me up for disappointment.

Book Review: Devil's Own

Devil's Own

by K.A. Fox
My rating: 3 of 5 hearts

Synopsis:

Delaney Murphy has always known she's the Devil’s daughter. And although the title itself is a burden, she never expects to inherit all her father's infernal abilities. When her newfound magic begins to poison the people closest to her, Laney must make a choice. To protect the world from the worst she can do, she leaves everyone she loves behind and builds a new life for herself, alone, in a place where she can control the urge to give in to the magic living within her.

Review:

I received this book as an ARC from the author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. When I saw this listing on NetGalley, I immediately wanted to read it. I'll often select a new book based on a combination review of both the cover and the story synopsis. This time, the cover drew me in before I had even read the synopsis. I'm generally a sucker for anything blue, and this was no exception. The combination of the hazy, almost gloomy, blue background and the super strong female central figure intrigued me. The defiant, "crazy-eyed" expression on her face just added fuel to the fire. Upon reviewing the synopsis, I figured that this story was completely in my wheel-house. Serial Killer + Demons = Awesome. Right? Well, mostly.