Tuesday, June 28, 2016

John Flanagan brings us an all new Brotherband Chronicles

Description:
When the Brotherband crew are caught in a massive storm at sea, they’re blown far off course - so far that they wash up on the shores of a land to the west that Hal can’t recognize from any of his maps. Eerily the locals are nowhere in sight, yet the Herons have a creeping feeling they are being watched.

Suddenly the silence is broken when a massive, marauding bear appears, advancing on two native children. The crew springs into action and rescues the children from the bear’s clutches, which earns them the gratitude and friendship of the local Mawagansett tribe, who finally reveal themselves. But the peace is short-lived. The Ghostfaces, a ruthless, warlike tribe who shave their heads and paint their faces white, are on the warpath once more. It’s been ten years since they raided the Mawagansett village, but they’re coming back to pillage and reap destruction. As the enemy approaches, the Herons gear up to help their new friends repel an invasion.

In this sixth book in the action-packed Brotherband Chronicles, the Herons find themselves in unfamiliar lands and prepare for battle with a ruthless, unknown enemy.





John Flanagan is an excellent storyteller, and I have absolutely enjoyed the entire Ranger's Apprentice and Brotherband Chronicles series. What is even better is my son also reads them, so we have something to talk about. Trying to get a twelve year old to talk to his mom is usually like pulling teeth, so it's been great!

Hal and his friends take us on another journey, where they get blown out to sea and across the unknown ocean. They land on a land that is different than their own. They are wary of the natives but end up befriending them when they save two children from a very large bear. But another tribe of natives could cause them a lot of problems.

I love how Flanagan brings in elements of the real world to this series. We see Scandanavia in the Skandians, and now we see native North Americans in this book! It is so incredibly cool. The book was well written, well thought out, I enjoyed each of the characters, and I even cried a little. This is such an amazing series. 

The Guardians trilogy returns with Bay of Sighs by Nora Roberts

Description:
Mermaid Annika is from the sea, and it is there she must return after her quest to find the stars. New to this world, her purity and beauty are nothing less than breathtaking, along with her graceful athleticism, as her five new friends discovered when they retrieved the fire star. 
 
Now, through space and time, traveler Sawyer King has brought the guardians to the island of Capri, where the water star is hidden. And as he watches Annika in her element, he finds himself drawn to her joyful spirit. But Sawyer knows that if he allows her into his heart, no compass could ever guide him back to solid ground...
 
And in the darkness, their enemy broods. She lost one star to the guardians, but there is still time for blood to be spilled—the mermaid’s in the water and the traveler’s on the land. For she has forged a dangerous new weapon. Something deadly and unpredictable. Something human


Does Ms Roberts books ever actually need an introduction? I adore her books and really adore her paranormal books! This one was no exception and I think I will die waiting til December for the story to finish!

Annika and Sawyer have a connection that neither of them can much understand. At the end of this journey, Annika will have to return to the sea and Sawyer will be stuck on land. Their relationship can't go anywhere yet they are drawn to each other. Their desire for each other matches their desire to find the stars and return them to the Island of Glass. 

Evil stalks them, this time the evil goddess recruits a human male, one known to some of the group as extremely ruthless and dangerous. But he is not as he seems, as the goddess has made him.. more. It will take everything they have to defeat him and continue their journey to save the Stars of Fortune. 

Christine Feehan is bringing us an all new series starting with "Shadow Rider"

Description:
Whether it’s fast cars or fast women, Stefano Ferraro gets what he wants. When he’s not fodder for the paparazzi, he commands Ferraro family businesses—both legitimate and illegitimate.
 
While their criminal activity is simply a rumor yet to be proven, no one knows the real truth. The Ferraros are a family of shadow riders capable of manipulating light and dark, an ability Stefano thought ran in his family alone—until now…
 
With little left to her name, Francesca Cappello has come to Chicago in hopes of a new life. She wasn’t expecting to attract the attention of a man with primal hunger in his eyes, driven to claim her as his to protect and to please. And if he discovers her secret, it could ruin her...


I have gotten a little bored with Ms Feehan's books of late. I had been a die hard Dark series fan for over a decade, but lately it just hasn't resonate with me and I still haven't finished the newest Dark book. I never got into the Sea Haven books or the leopard ones. I read the first few Ghostwalkers and gave up. 

However, I did very much like "Shadow Rider" despite the very 50 Shades "I will dominate you" alpha male that just tends to piss me off. The basis of the story is very interesting. The Ferraro family comes from a long line of shadow riders. People who can see the shadows and ride the shadows into every nook and cranny of the world. They use this ability as assassins, although they are very picky about what jobs they will take. Some of the family who are not able to ride the shadows are investigators, they are able to tell a lie. The investigators will research every aspect of the potential victim as well as who hires them, to make sure that the person they are taking out is deserving of it, such as pedophiles and child abusers. 

When Stefano first lays eyes on Francesca, he sees that she is a shadow rider and also that she is meant for him. He immediately stakes his claim for the entire neighborhood to know. Francesca is running from a violent man who murdered her sister and made her out to be crazy. She has to stay in the shadows and not bring attention to herself if she wants to live.

Life with Stefano and his numerous siblings and cousins is not easy and definitely doesn't keep her in the shadows. When Stefano finds out what happened to Francesca and her sister, he is determined to take out the man who hurt his woman. 

I could do without the sex scenes what felt like every three pages. But overall I liked the story.