Three Days to Dead by Kelly Meding

Rating: 4 3/4 out of 5 Stars

I picked this book up because of the title, but I was thrilled with the first page! It tossed you right into the action without confusing you and was able to keep me reading and reading. I actually finished this book in about 8 hours. I really couldn't put it down.

By chapter three we (as a reader) start learning about the background and how things work in this world. It was a bit of an information overload (all

560 words of it) but I didn't mind one but. Actually, I found the world really cool and wanted to keep leaning more about it.

I really like the creatures she uses. We don't see a lot of goblins, gargoyles or bridge trolls in urban fantasy but in this they seem to be the main cr

eatures, and they are done well. I also really liked the abilities and attributes each creature had.

The way the author described the action scenes were great. They were short but every word was used perfectly, and it was packed with action, I liked that each chapter starts with the time left,  I loved the world the author created and Smedge was one of my favorite characters by far!

There wasn't much I didn't like about this book. At first, I was sure how I felt about Evy, but overall I didn't hate her. She was a fun character to read about.

I have to say I didn't like Wyatt's love confession. It just felt…. Unfulfilling. I wasn't attached to him yet and it didn't really feel like Evy was either, it all felt too soon and misplaced.   And sadly, I feel like it took dragged on a little bit longer than and some parts were drawn out and I felt the ending was a little disappointing. It just felt like it was lacking. To make everything worse…. I found myself liking another male character more than the love interest! 

I just had to include this quote because I loved it.

"A gremlin labor strike." 

A Valedictorian by Ellis Friedman

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

An Oreo. 

The sound of copying machines was like an Oreo. the mechanical soprano buzz sandwiching the sound of a train clacking by.

So, the other day I had just finished writing a review for Working for the Devil and I was wondering what I would read next, after all I have a few things I could start but I decided to stop at the mail first. I was expecting a lot of stuff but I was not expecting a new book! 

Turns out, I won a giveaway I'd entered a couple weeks but and this was what I received. 

The book was god but it starts slow and I felt like it took a while to even bring the reader to something that seemed to somewhat related to the story. Even 30 pages into it I felt a little like it was still getting started. More than that, I felt like it was all just one beginning then ending. Like there was no middle

I would have loved to see a major conflict but didn't feel like I saw that.

The major thing I didn't like about this is that the writing was a little confusing. Things like flash backs not being italic-ed .

The ending disappointed me. I felt that it ended suddenly and would have liked to see July and Toby at least talk about their relationship before the book ended (though I am a romance reader and always want a HFN). It… felt lacking and left me a little annoyed that I didn't get to see what Toby was thinking when he up and left like that.

Oh, and July seemed a tad bit over-understanding in the beginning, maybe this was because she was trying or maybe she really is that nice of a girl.

A Valedictorian had it's cute moments, it had its moments that made me smile and the romance moved along nicely

Over all, I have to admit that this probably wasn't really my kind of book, but there were many amazing elements to it.

As much as I have some bad things to say about this book, the fact of the matter is that I couldn't put it down, and when I did I wanted to pick it back up. 

Working for the Devil by Lilith Saintcrow

I read this book for the first time when I was about 12. I wanted it to be one of the first books I reviewed because of that, and because it has always been on my top shelf. A shelf reserved for the books I most love.

The story starts fallows Dante Valentine as she is contacted by the Devil, given a job (which she has a personal stake in) and all the drama ensues.

I have to say, the novel starts off well! It jumps right into the action and quickly got me wondering what would happen next. It was one of those books that I read through quickly, in less than 24 hours, and was surprised to see that I was already at chapter 10 when I finally put it down to find a snack.

Rating: 4 and 1/2 out of 5

<B>My working relationship with Lucifer began on a rainy Monday.</b>

is a necromancer and bounty hunter, and when the Devil contacts her for the job he gives her a demon familiar (who also has a personal stake in this). I love the way the paranormal are handled in this series though I found myself getting confused with some of the words the author invented. Thankfully there is a Glossary at the back of the book!

As a character I like Dante. She is fun, amusing and I enjoy fallowing her stories, but Dante can be mean, rude and plain out hurtful towards Jaf, and kinda everyone else.

She seems so upset that Jaf is helping her with this case because he wants his freedom. Like he is some bad guy for wanting her to stay alive because he doesn't want to work for the Devil anymore- This comes off as so selfish and childish to me.

Also, she can be pretty childish, what with the stomping, mood changes with the snap of a finger and the hissyfits. It was kinda confusing.

When it comes to side characters I have to say that the author does an amazing job! Doreen seems like such a beautiful character. I think it was Dante's attachment to her that really made me feel for her.

Gabe and Eddie have a beautiful relationship and were one of the things that kept me smiling throughout the book. Jace, the ex-lover, has always been one of my favorite characters. He can be annoying, but I feel like there is so much to love about him, and *spoilers* I love that we get to see more of him in the next book but Japhrimel is probably my favorite main-side character. At least in the first book.

What else? Well, I will say that the fight scenes are great, the world is well detailed though a little confusing and the author did an amazing job with the story behind the story. Most books have a personal stake for the main character and sometimes they are… unbelievable to say the least, but this one I actually believed and understood.

The biggest thing that I didn't like is the way they represented the devil/Satan/Lucifer.  When I saw the title "Working for the Devil" I was expecting a partnership type relationship between the main character and the devil. I was excited to see how the author would create a Devil that the reader wanted to root for. I was disappointed when I didn't see that. 

Deadly Sting by Jennifer Estep

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

"That would look fabulous on you."

I wanted to start by saying that I picked this book up not realizing it was the 8th book in the series. I swear I've been doing this since I was 8! You would think by now I would know better. But, even thought it was the 8th book in the series (and I think it is safe to assume a lot has already happened that old time readers know about) I still found this book easy to fallow and received enough information about the past and the world not to be confused.

Started good! Had high hopes for it and not sure it was because of that reason that I was slightly disappointed.

The story jumped right into the action but we got into chapter 3 and still it didn't feel like we were into the main conflict, by page 200 I still didn't feel like it even though I later realized we were. The story over all moved slow and I felt like the main conflict should have been a minor one, or that this should have been a short story.

There were a few characters I liked! Like Finn, though I have a slight issue with him…. This is supposed to be a paranormal romance (at least that is what websites say) yet almost 100 pages in and the main male in the novel seems to be the main characters sisters husband. Though it bugs me a little I do quite enjoy him as a character. He was smart, funny and I feel a really good character to the story.

The main character is smart. It's nice to see that in a novel, often times I find them silly, not so bright or down right stupid. The author does a good job at having the main character assess each situation, act like an hired killer and come to a good solation 

Other than them, even though she made a small appearance I liked Jessica the most, and Brie.

The novel ended well, and all in all was worth the read. I came out of the novel satisfied and glad with the time I had spent reading it.  

Also, I loved the cover art, it was part of what drew me to this title.