Mini Review: Hounded (The Iron Druid Chronicles #1) by Kevin Hearne

Hounded (The Iron Druid Chronicles #1) by Kevin Hearne
Narrated by Luke Daniels
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Publication date: April 19th 2011
Length: 8 hrs 11 minutes
My rating: 4 stars 

Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old - when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.

Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power - plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish - to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil 

I’m first and foremost a romance junkie any genre I read usually must contain some amount.  So it was shocking to me that I enjoyed this so much when there isn’t any! I credit that to the highly entertaining and quick-witted Atticus O’Sullivan!

Atticus O’Sullivan may look like he’s twenty-one but in reality his age is over two thousand. He’s last of the Druids, trying to live a peaceful life running a New Age book and tea shop. Unfortunately, he’s had an age long feud with the Celtic god, Aenghus Og over a magical sword and this god is ready to take what he thinks is his.

Hounded was entertaining and fun.  A definite must for any Urban Fantasy fan or just anyone who loves a great story!  Witches, werewolves, vampires and Celtic mythology factor in heavily, and you’d think this would be overwhelming, but the story is fast paced with just enough information to keep you clued in without slowing the story down.

Atticus is a clever and thoughtful hero, who always seemed to be several steps ahead of any opponent like a strategic game of chess.  Loved his encounters with Emily the witch!

There’s lot of witty humor and laughs, and it was a treat being in Atticus’ head. Oberon, his loyal best friend and dog was also quite funny with his obsessive love of sausages and French poodles. 

There is no romance *sniff* BUT there is a hope and a hint (maybe?) of something to come.

I listed to the audio version of Hounded, which I highly recommend! Luke Daniels was an excellent narrator! 

Review: Playing the Playboy by Noelle Adams

Playing the Playboy (Heirs of Damon #2) by Noelle Adams
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication date: November 17th 2013
My rating: 3.5 stars 


 

Laurel will do anything to save her Santorini inn from the powerful Damon family, and that includes manipulating Andrew Damon, the man they’ve sent to get her off the property. Andrew might have a reputation for being irresistible to women, but she won’t have any problem resisting him. This is war, after all, and the Damons drew their weapons first.

Andrew has spent most of his life chasing women and wasting time, but he’s determined to do his duty by his family, even if that means ousting an infuriating (and gorgeous) widow from the inn that legally belongs to the Damons. He doesn’t expect to fall for her. And he definitely doesn’t expect to discover that he’s been played.

My Thoughts:

Playing the Playboy was the second book in the Heirs of Damon series centering on Andrew, the carefree “playboy” brother of Harrison.  It was a light, sweet, and entertaining romance.

Laurel is prepared for an all out war with the Damon’s when they make a claim to her beloved inn in Santorini.  She’s willing to use whatever weapon she has, even if it includes seducing Andrew who is set to arrive and meet with her.  Laurel doesn’t realize how affected she’d be by his charismatic and sweet personality, and soon realizes why so many women have fallen for him in spite of his reputation.

Andrew is the Damon brother who has skirted most of the family’s business responsibilities, but with Harrison at odds with their uncle, he must step in and do his share.  When he meets Laurel he finds she’s not the gold digger woman he thought she was, marrying someone older just for money.  He also discovers that Laurel feels she has a legitimate claim to the inn and after getting to know her, Andrew hopes this is true.  He hopes at the very least, they can at least work something out, because he’s come to care about her.

Andrew was a sweetheart, trying to make the best to make a bad situation.  He truly didn’t have a malicious bone in his body and was quick to make amends when he was in the wrong. My heart went out to Laurel.  Her life had been anything but easy, but she wasn’t one to wallow in self-pity, instead she focused on solutions and worked hard for everything she had. 

Their romance was touching.  The way Andrew steps up to care for Laurel when she needs it, even when they’re at odds couldn’t help but win everyone over.

“I liked rescuing you then. I’ll be happy to dash to the rescue any time you need it.” His words had been teasing, but as he gazed down at her, a wave of deep desire overwhelmed him. He wanted to rescue her, from anything that might threaten her.  He wanted…her.

While I don’t think this held the same charm as the first installment, it had a sweet appeal that drew me right in.  Noelle Adams creates characters with layers, depth and likeability, making it easy to connect with Laurel and Andrew, and root for their HEA.

*Quote taken from an uncorrected proof and may change in the final copy.

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Review: Sweet by Erin McCarthy

Sweet by Erin McCarthy
Publisher: Penguin Group InterMix
Publication date: October 15th 2013
My rating:  4 stars

Jessica Sweet thought going away to college would finally make her free of her parents’ constant judgments and insistence she play chastity club role model for their church events, but if anything, the freedom has made her realize she can’t go home and be a hypocrite anymore. Tired of dodging their questions, she stays at school over the summer and lands in an unexpected crash pad: Riley Mann’s house.

Sarcastic, cocky, and full of opinions, Riley is also sexy personified with tattoos and biceps earned from working as a roofer all day. Not the right guy for her even if Jessica was looking for a relationship, which she is definitely not. But Jessica knows that Riley hides the burden of having to raise his younger brothers behind that grin and as she helps him get his house in order for a custody hearing, they begin to fall hard for each other, and she is forced to question what she’s hiding herself.

Jessica has never had a problem getting naked with a guy, but when it comes to showing Riley how she truly feels inside, her fear of rejection may just ruin the best thing—the best guy—to ever happen to her…

I must admit I wasn’t sure I’d end up enjoying Sweet because it centered on Jessica, one of Rory’s friends I met in True.  My opinion of her wasn’t very high, so I was pleasantly surprised that the story sucked me in so completely. 

Jessica Sweet is the stereotypical “preacher’s daughter” in that when she got out from under her parents home, she partied and had casual hookups galore to the point she’s slept with a lot of her guy friends without any sort of strings attached.  Jessica doesn’t want any strings with any guy, because she doesn’t want anyone to think they have the right or power to tell her what to do, like her parents did.  Jessica can’t bear the thought of returning home for the summer, trying to act like the sweet virginal “preacher’s daughter” when she’s anything but.  So she makes up a fake mission, spending the summer building houses for the needy, but actually stays in town close to campus.

When her rooming situation becomes a little complicated, she ends up crashing at an unlikely place: Riley Mann’s home, Tyler’s brother. This is a little awkward at first because Jessica and Riley have made hating each other a sport.  Because Jessica doesn’t have many options, she makes nice.  Being one on one with Riley, she slowly realizes what a great guy he is, caring for his younger brothers and shouldering the responsibility selflessly, and before you know it Jessica’s falling hard for him.

I got to know Jessica a little from the previous novel and didn’t really care for her.  I didn’t like her casual ideas on sex, screwing a lot of her guy friends, and others whenever she felt the itch. I’m not being sexist, I don’t like it when guys have this attitude either because I think sex should mean something.  Some might disagree with me, but that’s the beauty of opinions, everyone gets to have one.  Plus, it bugged me that she (highlight text to see spoiler)  slept with Tyler before Rory, and then paid him to “help” Rory out by sleeping with her, and thereby getting rid of her “pesky” virginity.  See my review for my thoughts on that move.  So, yeah, I wasn’t a huge fan of Jessica’s, so I was surprised how much I connected to her as I got to know her better.  I didn’t always agree with her actions or her thoughts, but Jessica’s honesty and giving spirit was appealing.  I loved watching her fall for Riley, and seeing the affect his character had on her views.

I had only love for Riley. In spite of appearances, and sometimes his mouth, he was such an honorable man.  The care and love he showed for his brothers was moving. He had a crap situation but tried to make the best of it being the oldest brother. 

Erin McCarthy continues to impress me with her original take on the New Adult category, and I’m excited for the next in the series: Believe.  There was a teaser at the end, and it promises to be interesting considering what Robin has done.  Oh, boy. I’m cringing just thinking about it, but I’m definitely reading it! 

Connect with Erin McCarthy:

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