Review: Personal Demons (Hopeless, Maine #1)

Personal Demons (Hopeless, Maine #1) by Tom & Nimue Brown

I am not a graphic novel expert, but I do like to grab one now and then as a change of pace. I've tried some of the newer Wonder Woman's, Locke & Key, and of course The Sandman. I find myself drawn to the darker fantasy works. This one is closer to a YA dark fantasy.

The horrible occurrences in Hopeless, Maine, were just right. Creepy, kid-centered, there is violence but not to the extent of those geared for older audiences. I absolutely fell in love with the illustrations (a must with a graphic novel, of course).

Terrible things have been happening in Hopeless. The orphanage is full, people keep dying, and there are demons everywhere. A strange girl named Salamandra has been found living alone. She says her mother wants to drink her and her father has some very interesting acquaintances. She is sent to the orphanage where she encounters a dangerous enemy, finds a friend, and also shows what she can do. Salamandra might be small, but she is not helpless.

I liked the atmosphere and the little taste of Hopeless we get in Book 1. I'll keep an eye out for future installments.

[Received an ARC to review.]

Review: The Dead of Winter

The Dead of Winter (Cora Oglesby #1) by Lee Collins

This book was so good - a mix of the action I love, interesting characters, and a few kicks to the emotional gut.

Cora Oglesby is a character I always want to read about - the older, experienced, battle-hardened female lead. Cherie Priest and Philippa Ballantine have done this so well, and now I can add Lee Collins to the list.

Set in the late 1800s American West, Cora and her husband, Ben, are bounty hunters. However, the things they hunt are vampires, werewolves, hellhounds, and other dark creatures that prey on humanity. They have been doing this for a long time - 20 years, and while very experienced and kickass, Cora is starting to feel those years. Her penchant for whiskey and gambling takes its toll too.

Cora and Ben find themselves in a mining town beset by a savage killer who is hunting people for food. They also meet an English vampire hunter and scholar whose employer has a problem with vampires in his mine. Through it all Cora relies on her network of priestly connections for information and weapons, faces a terrible enemy, finds a bitter truth, and kicks some serious ass.

Cora and Ben's relationship is also unique. At the start of the book,  it's quiet and understated. You get the feeling that they know all about the other persons crap, have accepted it, and made their own groove to fit alongside. This isn't the fiery first passion. These two have lived and fought together, respect each other, and have a real partnership, to the point that Cora takes point on most of their hunts. Ben is more the bookish type. It felt very real.

And here I'm going to stop because I will not spoil one thing. I will say that there were more than a few "Damn!"'s uttered as I read it. Those kicks to the emotions I mentioned. Yeah, Collins delivered.

However, if you read it and want to discuss, we can do that.

Another book that proves the Western is not dead. Can't wait for book 2.


[I received an ARC to review.]

Winners!

The winner of the Weird Girls swag giveaway is Tonya Kuper!

The winner of the Mr. Real giveaway is Merry!

Congrats and thanks to everyone for participating, and to Cecy Robson and Carolyn Crane for the giveaways!

Everything's Starting to Get Real...

Today the awesome Carolyn Crane is here! Her latest, Mr. Real, is going to be out October 30.

This is not the first time Carolyn has dropped by the Book Pile, but this time she came with some genuine Carolyn Crane art (perhaps you have seen them on her blog or other places around the internets - if not, I weep for you).

From the Mr. Real blurb:

"He finds the girl of his dreams…with the secret agent of his nightmares.

Alix Gordon is a woman who doesn’t take life too seriously. What’s the fun in that? So when she stumbles across occult software that can bring any computer image to life, she conjures up lots of awesome outfits and accessories. And then, on one drunken, horny night, she conjures up Sir Kendall, the sexy TV ad spy . . . who looks exactly like Paul Reinhardt, the super-sexy martial arts teacher who kicked her out of class three years ago.

Fighter Paul Reinhardt has good reason to hate Sir Kendall, the character he brought to life to land a part in a TV ad; he’d do anything to forget him. A cross country road trip seems just the thing . . . until Paul finds himself inexplicably drawn to Minnesota and is shocked to discover Sir Kendall - in the flesh - with the girl he’d once loved from afar. He barges into Alix and Sir Kendall’s love nest, determined to stop the madness - somehow.

But is superspy Sir Kendall transforming into something more dangerous anyone can imagine? And what will Sir Kendall do when Paul and Alix finally give into their mad lust for each other?"

My take: Mr. Real is a paranormal-romance-superspy-mashup that defies a strict category and was just so much fun to read. When Carolyn's characters mess up, they do not do it half-assed. In fact, the first lesson I gleaned from this book was to never screw with an occult computer program after the 5th beer. Definitely want the beer goggles off for that kind of decision.

I did like Alix. She of course did stupid things, but she tried so hard to do right and build herself up after years of feeling inferior. Paul, yeah, good stuff right there. He is tormented but he tries to work through it and I liked him a lot. And Sir Kendall was exactly how all of my Bond fantasies play out. Sure he's a suave, charismatic figure, but get involved with him and you'll be screwed over (and not in a happy-fun-times-way). I really liked that we got to get into all 3 of their heads. Especially Sir Kendall. Also really happy with how Paul & Alix balance each other. I do like when the couple have a prior history.

This is just book 1 and I can't wait to see what Carolyn cooks up for us next.

And now on to the Q&A!