Forced ending....for now

Forced Ascent By John Conroe

Chris Gordon has never had an easy relationship with the White House. Now, after rescuing his goddaughter from a secret base in New Hampshire, it’s reached a new low. You drop one little asteroid onto the continental United States and the entire government goes crazy. On top of that Halloween is fast approaching and demons are popping through into our world every which way. Forced into the world of high level politics, Chris and Tanya and their merry crew will have to stay two steps ahead of just about everyone if they’re going to have a chance in hell of preventing all Hell from breaking loose.

Rate & take

I am still thanking my lucky stars for finding this book series, the only downside is now I have to wait (after one more book) for future publishing date(s), rather than binge reading. Such is my lot in life, wait, wait, and wait, for the good ones. But at least it keeps life interesting!!

This book made it clear there will be more story in the future as the powers that be will never be happy if they cannot control Chris Gordon for their own purposes. Isn't that always the way? Instead of enjoying something/someone for what they have to offer, it's never enough and needs to be complete control or nothing. Is it just me or does this remind you of a child having a tantrum? Either way it is intriguing writing that I will continue to enjoy as more comes my way.

Series Me / A four pack

       

                        Books 2-5 in the Demon Accords series

                           



                           

Demon Driven by John Conroe

Seven months have passed since Chris Gordon met Tanya Demidova. In that time he has adapted to the vast changes in his life. Being faster and stronger, working for a paranormal police unit and dating a vampire. But new threats appear; from the South, from the North, within the NYPD and from the U.S. government. But his greatest danger is already inside him. Book 2 of the Demon Accords.

Brutal Asset

Book 3 of the Demon Accords. Partnered in an uneasy alliance with federal law enforcement, Chris Gordon has been hunting down the outlaw gang, Loki's Spawn, who attacked his vampire girlfriend. But when he finds unexpected hostages who trigger his baser instincts, Chris is thrown into a search for answers to dark questions. How to control his inner demon, what do the Spawn want with children, and who is hunting him?

His search takes him deep under the Big Apple, to the center of the Pentagon, and South of the US Border. All while learning the finer points of vampire politics.

Dual Nature

Book 4 of the Demon Accords. Chris and Tanya have been assigned as Coven Rovers, traveling the country and trouble shooting the supernatural community. It's a job that's part cop and part auditor, one that should be long periods of boredom mixed with small parts of action. But this is Chris and Tanya, so a sudden assignment to check on a rogue vampire leads to a run in with a hostile Master vampire, a hit squad, monsters straight out of Native American folklore, black ops teams and worst of all, vampire politics. Now, more than ever, Chris must control his dark side, as the alternative is death.

Fallen Stars

Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor. Sometimes it's just best to get the hell out of Dodge. After turning an ancient vampire to dust and stirring the Coven into a mob of pitchfork- and torch-bearing vampires, Chris Gordon thinks it might be time for a road trip. So, leaving Tanya to calm the troubled masses, he heads south to help a North Carolina Pack with some demon troubles. But with beautiful Stacia Reynolds in the shotgun seat and his trusty companion, Awasos, Chris just might find more trouble out of the Big Apple than in it as he follows the blacktop south. It's demons and witches and bears, oh my.

Rate & take 

My rating is four skulls for each book. 

This series just keeps me drawn in and I just can't get enough. I will read until I drain every last ounce, and it's all gone. I am currently reading book #6 and I see that I have missed two novellas from earlier in the series. I will be going back to correct that. 

I just love the first person writing in this. Chris, the main character, details his life and I just feel like I'm along with him every inch of the way.

And with the assorted characters he finds himself with, this is one hell of a ride.

Every time I think the story has hit a plateau, something new is added and it continues on its own smooth way.

I wish all books could be packed with entertainment and plot flow, like this one.

  No dud books, ever!!!

 

Paranormal Delight

God Touched by John Conroe

Book 1 of the Demon Accords.

Chris Gordon is a rookie with the NYPD - one with a secret. In his spare time Chris is an exorcist without equal with a gift from God.

But when he saves a beautiful girl from a demonic attack, he discovers there is more to fear than just demons. Finding himself surrounded by vampires, were weasels, and facing a giant short-faced bear, Chris struggles to stay alive, all while protecting his deadly new girlfriend. And then there's her over protective vampire mother!

Rate & take

I found this book and series by stalking, and I'm proud of that fact! 

I was looking over some book title or other and wasn't sure if it was for me (it wasn't). 

When I am uncertain of a book I go to the customer reviews. I know some reviews are fake to puff up the book appeal/sales, so I also look to the overall tone of all the reviews. 

In my perusal my eyes landed on a reviewer that really gave much thought to what he had to say about the read, and in no way did it feel contrived. The site I was on gives the option of clicking on all reviews by an individual. I totally stalked ever review he ever gave, and among them I found this gem of a book. 

<Thank you book reviewer whose name I do not recall, I pray you never run out of good reads.>

I am smitten with this series and am already well into book two. It's told from the leading males perspective and he is extraordinary and ordinary all at the same time. The combination somehow makes the character feel very genuine. And oh! The paranormal spectrum is well represented here, I am in LOVE with all that goes bump in the night, and day. I don't feel the book blurb above gives it justice, it deserves a spiffier homage.

If you love the paranormal, this one is a must for your TBR, or right now list !!

Wanted to be Twilight/More like, not yet sun down

Hidden Moon by K.R. Thompson

The first installment of the Keeper Saga, Hidden Moon is a story of danger, romance, and magic. Seventeen year-old Nikki Harmon knows that her life will never be the same. Forced to move after her father's death, she is determined to keep what is left of her family together, even if she can't get cell service. What she doesn't know, is that she will encounter mythical creatures in her quest to solve the mystery of the Trail Killer, and that she will be torn by her feelings for two very different guys. As she unearths the deadliest secret of all--will she lose her heart to one of them, or will she lose her life?

Rate & take

This was a quick and likable story. The setup was similar to Twilight without the burden of amazingness [sic]. I can't say there were any surprises in the plot and every now and then the female lead seemed to lose her backbone and slip into helpless victim a little too well. This review is starting to sound a lot more like I disliked the book, but really it was a nice way to pass a few hours with some paranormal creatures. I am very visual when I read and can picture people and landscapes easily, this book gave me some very nice visual cues.

Note from a thrifty reader

If you have stopped by this blog a time or two, you may have noticed I have a pretty decent reading habit going. Since my buying habit is large, and the money to support it is not, I look to many sources for discounts. (I should note here that I read mostly digitally, so my suggestions may not helpful to you if you read bound books.)

In addition to the multiply daily emails I get with the current days ebook deals (see the "Booky sites" page just below the Book Bliss banner for a full listing), I have recently subscribed to a service called, Scribd. For a reasonable monthly fee I have free range to download books, audio books, and comics. So far my picks have more than paid for the monthly fee when compared to the current purchase price of each download. Also, in many areas the local libraries are now offering access to their catalogs digitally, check your local library for details.

I say, read more, pay less!!! 

HAPPY READING! HAPPY READING! HAPPY READING! HAPPY READING!

This is what retirement looks like

The Fallen Angel by Daniel Silva

After narrowly surviving his last operation, Gabriel Allon, the wayward son of Israeli intelligence, has taken refuge behind the walls of the Vatican, where he is restoring one of Caravaggio's greatest masterpieces. But early one morning he is summoned to St. Peter's Basilica by Monsignor Luigi Donati, the all-powerful private secretary to His Holiness Pope Paul VII. The body of a beautiful woman lies broken beneath Michelangelo's magnificent dome. The Vatican police suspect suicide, though Gabriel believes otherwise. So, it seems, does Donati. But the monsignor is fearful that a public inquiry might inflict another scandal on the Church, and so he calls upon Gabriel to quietly pursue the truth—with one caveat.

"Rule number one at the Vatican," Donati said. "Don't ask too many questions."

Gabriel learns that the dead woman had uncovered a dangerous secret—a secret that threatens a global criminal enterprise that is looting timeless treasures of antiquity and selling them to the highest bidder. But there is more to this network than just greed. A mysterious operative is plotting an act of sabotage that will plunge the world into a conflict of apocalyptic proportions. . . .

An intoxicating blend of art, intrigue, and history, The Fallen Angel moves swiftly from the cloistered chambers of the Vatican to the glamorous ski slopes of St. Moritz to the graceful avenues of Berlin and Vienna—and, finally, to a shocking climax beneath the world's most sacred and contested parcel of land. Each setting in this extraordinary novel is rendered with the care of an Old Master, as are the spies, lovers, priests, and thieves who inhabit its pages. It is a story of faith and of the destructive power of secrets—and an all too timely reminder that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

Rate & take

This is the 12th book in the Gabriel Allon series, and my second dive into the franchise. I think they read very well as stand alone's...just in case you were thinking of having some spy time of your very own. I love the main character, Gabriel, and the fact that part of this book takes place at the Vatican, was just a further draw for me. No matter how "retired" he is, the office just keeps finding need of his services. The book was smooth and kept the action nicely paced. I also appreciated the bits of humor sprinkled along the way and the fact the he juggles his spy craft with his first love, art restoration. That dichotomy of talents always tickles me. I say, leave the gun, take the paint brush! But then all paint and no kill might make Gabriel a dull boy, er, read.



Warm & cold

Jake Undone by Penelope Ward

Nina Kennedy was alive…but not living…until she met him.

Planes, trains, heights…you name it, Nina was afraid of it and led a sheltered life ruled by irrational fears and phobias. When she moves to Brooklyn for nursing school, that life is turned upside down, as she develops an intense but unwanted attraction to her gorgeous roommate, who’s pierced, tattooed and just happens to be the smartest person she’s ever met.

Behind Jake Green’s rough exterior and devilish smile, lies a heart of gold. He makes it his mission to change Nina’s outlook on life. When he agrees to tutor her, they forge a bet and the stakes are high as Jake forces Nina to face her demons. He just wasn't expecting to fall hard for her in the process.

What Nina doesn't realize, is that Jake has been living his own private hell. Once he drops a bombshell, will their love survive it?

Rate & take

There was a good deal of appeal in this book that kept me reading until the end...and there was also some very thin writing that came with it. At times I would be reading along, taking everything in and enjoying it, then I would realize just how little depth some characters had. Many were only there to utter a few words, some were just a thought in someones head. Others were written out without any further mention. It was as if the author could only really manage the main two characters and very little else. Despite these difficulties I did find this title enjoyable. At first I was mad at myself for falling for it, but there is a thread of charm here that can't be denied.