Author: Rebecca Chastain
Title: Magic of the Gargoyles (Gargoyle Guardian Chronicles #1)
Genre: UF and Paranormal
Pages: ebook
Published: October 2014
I Got It: My shelf (Amazon)
Mika Stillwater is a mid-level earth elemental with ambitions of becoming a quartz artisan, and her hard work is starting to get noticed. But when a panicked baby gargoyle bursts into her studio, insisting Mika is the only person she’ll trust with her desperate mission, Mika’s carefully constructed five-year plan is shattered.
Swept into the gritty criminal underworld of Terra Haven, Mika must jeopardize everything she’s worked so hard for to save the baby gargoyle from the machinations of a monster—and to stay alive…
I honestly really love this author's writing style. Yes, she writes fantasy books, but there is something she does when she writes that makes the story feel so real and alive. The author has such a way of making you feel like you are there in the story.
Now, this story follows Mika who has some powers, but she wants to have some sort of normal life. She has a 5-year plan and she plans on keeping it. However, things go whacky and she is sucked into the paranormal world to help this gargoyle.
Mika was okay. I connected with her on some points, but I felt distant from her. She was super whiny and I get that she wanted something of a normal life, but meh. You have powers that can do real good...use them. Maybe this short-ish story was too short so I didn't really get a chance to connect with her and see her grow some more into her role? Not sure, but I just had a hard time with Mika.
The rest of the cast was forgettable, unfortunately. I did really like the gargoyles and I want to learn more about these creatures. They were interesting and cuteeeee.
The baddie was a monster for sure, but very predictable in my opinion.
The story and adventure was fun, but it did take a long time to get sucked in compared to the author's previous stories. It is not that it was a slow beginning, but I felt it was too quick and I was confused the majority of the time. Once things made sense I got into the adventure.
I wouldn't mind reading the next one if it was free or at the library. I'm hoping I can connect with the star of the show more so in the next one.
This was just okay. I'm a little bummed because it wasn't as good as the past books I have read. I'm going to give this a 2.
Author: Rebecca Chastain
Title: Tiny Glitches
Genre: Paranormal Romance & Fantasy
Pages: ebook
First Published: Janurary 2016
Where I Got It: My shelf (Given to me by the author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)
Life isn’t exactly normal for Eva Parker: the stronger Eva’s emotions, the faster nearby electrical devices die. Eva can’t have a cell phone, use a computer, or be in a car for more than a few minutes without killing it. Dealing with her electricity-killing curse makes living in modern-day Los Angeles complicated enough for Eva—and that was before she was blackmailed into hiding a stolen baby elephant and partnered with Hudson, a sexy electrical engineer Eva just met.
Dodging repeated attempts on her life made by ruthless corporations hunting the elephant is easier for Eva than quelling her growing affection for Hudson, and while protecting an elephant is hard, controlling her curse is a lot harder. However, Eva must do both, because if she lets her emotions free and falls in love with Hudson, neither of them will survive.
This is my third book by the author and I want more! I utterly enjoy the writing style and the voice the author uses in her stories. Even though her stores deal in the paranormal/supernatural world, it feel real and I connect with every character.
I really liked the Eva, the heroine, even though I wanted to kick her! Duh Hudson really, really likes you you daft girl! Would he be at ALL helping you with the whole elephant fiasco if he didn't? I do feel bad that he IS an electrical engineer and she is an electrician's worst nightmare - someone who drains electricity. Poor girl. Living in the modern world and having this curse makes every day life harder then hell. Girl can't even drive, because she kills cars!
There was SO much craziness happening at every turn. Sometimes I felt overwhelmed by everything and I would have to step away. There was barely only moments of calm. The only calm before the onslaught of craziness was when they went to Eva's aunt's house at the beginning. From there it felt nonstop. It seemed unreal. It was fun, don't get me wrong, just over-the-top and hard to believe that Hudson stuck around.
Speaking of Hudson...I had mixed feelings about him. Great guy, but I was meh. He seemed to perfect to me.
Ooooh the ending. It was good and made me happy (I was really upset about what I thought had happened, but the last chapter cleared everything up for me). It seemed like a stretch, but I'm happy with it :D.
But yes, this was a cute and fun story. I loved the uniqueness of the story, situations, and the characters - especially for Eva and her sad curse. I would be a hot mess if I had to deal with that. I highly recommend it to people who need a lighter story with some laughs, craziness at every turn, and fun characters. In the end, I shall stamp this with....mmmm...3 stars.
A great big thanks is going to Rebecca Chastain for hosting a giveaway for $25 giftcard at Amazon during the release of her new book TINY GLITCHES! Make sure to enter and check out her new book - it is for sure on my TBR list. :D The raffle is open internationally from January 12 to February 12.
Synopsis of TINY GLITCHES:
Life isn’t exactly normal for Eva Parker: the stronger Eva’s emotions, the faster nearby electrical devices die. Eva can’t have a cell phone, use a computer, or be in a car for more than a few minutes without killing it. Dealing with her electricity-killing curse makes living in modern-day Los Angeles complicated enough for Eva—and that was before she was blackmailed into hiding a stolen baby elephant and partnered with Hudson, a sexy electrical engineer Eva just met.
Dodging repeated attempts on her life made by ruthless corporations hunting the elephant is easier for Eva than quelling her growing affection for Hudson, and while protecting an elephant is hard, controlling her curse is a lot harder. However, Eva must do both, because if she lets her emotions free and falls in love with Hudson, neither of them will survive.
Enchanting and quirky, TINY GLITCHES fuses electrifying romance and high-voltage suspense in a rollicking adventure.
TINY GLITCHES can be found at:
Amazon (US): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017Z9NROY
Amazon (everywhere else): http://smarturl.it/TinyGlitches
Website: http://www.rebeccachastain.com
Newsletter: http://www.rebeccachastain.com/newsletter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebeccachastainnovels
Twitter: @Author_Rebecca or https://twitter.com/Author_Rebecca
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5660379.Rebecca_Chastain
Author bio:
Rebecca Chastain is the international bestselling fantasy author of A FISTFUL OF EVIL, A FISTFUL OF FIRE, and MAGIC OF THE GARGOYLES. She has found seven four-leaf clovers to date, won a purebred Arabian horse in a drawing, and once tamed a blackbird for a day. Dreaming up the absurd and writing stories designed to amuse and entertain has been her passion since she was eleven years old. She lives in northern California with her wonderful husband and two bossy cats. TINY GLITCHES is her latest novel.
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Happy end of 2015! This year simply flew by! It is time to pass out my Carole Awards to some movies and books. (Again, I changed up the categories). Share in the comments what your favorites/worsts were?
Category 1 Movies:
Favorite Poster.....Stonehearst Asylum
Worse Movie.....The Starving Games
Movie of the Year......It's Such a Beautiful Day
Category 2 Books:
Favorite Book Cover....super hard to pick! So many good contenders this year.....Fallen
Worst Book....The Casual Vacancy
Author of the Year.......Rebecca Chastin
Book of the Year.......The Lure of the Moonflower
Hope 2016 is just as good as 2015!!!!!
Author: Rebecca Chastain
Title: A Fistful of Fire (Madison Fox, Illuminant Enforcer #2)
Genre: UF & Fantasy
Pages: ebook
First Published: October 2015
Where I Got It: My shelf (Given to me by the author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)
Madison Fox survived her first week as California’s newest illuminant enforcer, defending her region against imps, vervet, hounds, and one lascivious demon. If her grumpy boss, Mr. Pitt, was impressed, he hasn’t told Madison. In fact, there’s a lot her boss has been closemouthed about, including the dark secret haunting his past.
But Madison’s problems are just igniting. Neighboring regions report an uncharacteristic flare-up of evil, fire-breathing salamanders blaze unchecked across the city, and Black Friday looms. Trapped doing cleanup amid mobs of holiday shoppers, Madison watches from the sidelines as dubious allies insinuate themselves in her region.
As suspicions kindle and the mysterious evil gains strength, Madison must determine who she can trust—and whose rules to follow—before her region and career go up in flames.
This is the second in the series. It could be read as a standalone, but I do encourage reading the first book first.
Poor Madison! I get that she is a newbie, but I feel bad about how rudely everyone is treating her. Even in the paranormal world politics runs rampant. I also felt bad for Mr. Pitt the whole time. Poor guy...I'm happy to see that he really does like Madison and cares for her safety. She certainly has her dumb moments, but you can't really blame her. I would probably pull some of the same dumb things. She is new to this world and this role which people are trying to pull from under her feet. Again...poor girl.
Hilarious that this takes place on Black Friday. It proves my point about how horrible that event is. Its a day of greed, stupidity, and selfishness. It was awesome how the author incorporated this in this world. Clever, clever.
The beginning was a little slow, but it was certainly the calm before the storm. So much drama. So many baddies. And so many twists that I wasn't sure what was going to happen and who was to blame! I love it when a story keeps me on my toes. I can't wait to see what happens next. I'm certainly glad the possible love triangle is still being avoided. I adore Nicko, but Madison needs a guy like Dr. Love to keep her sane. Nicko can find someone else. Maybe Madison's friend ;D.
Honestly, I am so glad this series found me, because I was losing faith in the UF genre. The characters are interesting, the world new/different, and the story fresh and creative! Love it! I am curious to see what happens next.
In the end, I highly recommend this series. I advise reading the first one first though, because there are a lot of backstory I feel is essential. Granted, I can see this being read alone. The beginning was a little slow, but after a couple of chapters I could NOT put this down. A fun world and characters that entertain me. Too be honest, this was better then the first book which is rare! Out of five stars, I stamp this with 5.
Author: Rebecca Chastain
Title: A Fistful of Evil (Madison Fox, Illuminant Enforcer #1)
Genre: Urban Fiction, Fantasy, YA, & Paranormal
Pages: ebook
First Published: August 2014
Where I Got It: My shelf (Given by an author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)
Madison Fox just learned that her ability to see souls is more than a sight: It’s a weapon for fighting evil. The only problem is she doesn’t have a clue what she’s doing.
On the positive side, her money problems are over, she’s possibly discovered her purpose in life, and her coworker is smoking hot. On the negative side, evil creatures now actively hunt her, and deadly experiences are becoming the norm.
When she thinks it couldn’t get worse, a powerful evil sets up shop at a local hotel’s video game convention, and it’s got its eye on more than the gaming geeks: it is hungry for Madison’s soul. Madison needs to become an expert illuminant enforcer overnight to save her job, her region . . . and her life.
This is the first of the Madison Fox Illumnant Enforcer series. I'm excited to see where the story goes from here.
Madison has an interesting power, she can see souls of people and things. She randomly finds a job posting and goes for it. Well, it leads her to use her ability to fight pure evil. However...she is a complete newbie and is thrown to protect a whole region. She meets new people and a new world.
I love the whole concept of the book/series. This is an interesting ability she has and it was very refreshing for this genre. I did like Madison. She's not kickass yet, but she is learning and is funny. Honestly, I'm glad she wasn't a "natural" at battle the forces of evil, she has LOTS and LOTS to learn. There is a lot of training still in her future. Yes...she does have her dumb moments which made me roll my eyes, BUT she is a complete newbie in this world and this job.
Ooooh Niko you hot, hot man. ;) I liked him a lot and I want to learn more about him. But I did like Dr Love the Vet as well. I know, I know - Dr Love is a lame name, but I think its kinda funny and clever. I feel like there is a possibility of a love triangle in the future....BUT I have some suspicious on Dr Love...I hope he's not a baddie, but he seems too perfect hmmmmm. HOWEVER, what I really REALLY liked was that romance was not the center of this story. It wasn't Madison's main goal to find love, yes, she thought Niko and Dr Love were hot, but her main concern was saving her region. Major props to avoid the pitfall of a making the story to loved filled. I hope this remains the same in the second book.
My only issue was the lag that occurred after her first meet with a stronger evil. The lag only lasted about 25 pages, but it picked up again and thank goodness.
In the end, this was a fun read. It was a refreshing read. Urban fantasies were blending together, but this was a fresh new story with an interesting cast and power. Also, I loved the fact that the romance was there a little bit, but it wasn't the center/core of the story. The lag killed me, but it didn't last too long. However, I am super excited for the second book in the series! I can't wait to see what Madison is up to next. I highly recommend this to those that want to read UF, but want something refreshing and fun. Out of five stars, I stamp this with 4 stars.
