Book Review: The Immortal Circus by A.R. Kahler

Title: The Immortal Circus
Author: A.R. Kahler
Publisher: 47North
Date of Publication: Dec. 4, 2012
Source: bought, Kindle, 236 pages
Genre: Fantasy, New Adult, Romance, Paranormal
Fall In Love with Your Own:  Amazon | 



Goodreads Summary:

Murdered contortionists aren’t exactly what Vivienne signed up for when she ran away to join the circus. But like most things under the big top, nothing is what it seems. With a past she can't quite remember, Vivienne finds that running away forever might not be as appealing as it once sounded—especially not when she realizes the devilishly attractive ringleader Mab is the Faerie Queen of legend…and that she and the rest of the troupe are locked in an age-old rivalry between the otherworldly Courts.Aided by her friends Kingston—a feisty stage magician whose magic is quickly stealing her heart—and his smart-ass assistant Melody, Vivienne finds herself racing against the clock to discover the culprit behind a series of deaths that should be impossible. However, the answer she seeks might reveal more about her own bloody past—and future—than she bargains for.
The show's just beginning.

Step right up…

My Thoughts:
This is a fast paced, sexy as hell, romantic supernatural mystery that combines so many magical elements it creates this thrill ride that you hope will never end!

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the circuses we grew up on had this type of allure to them?  Magicians that capture our minds with spells, while the fey like performers capture our eyes with their graceful moves.  Oh what a wonderful world indeed that would be!

Lucky for us, Mr. Kahler created a world with these very powerful beings who can transform everything around us with just a blink of the eyelid.   From the very first page, we are thrust right into the dark world of the Cirques de Immortales where a performer has been murdered.  Right away, we get a glimpse of the dangerous side to this profound group of circus performers.  
It is told from Vivienne's standpoint, so we are kept in the dark, only learning things as she learns them.  There are a few times we are privy to certain conversations between other characters that help us see a little bit more into everyone's parts that they are destined to play.
I liked Vivienne for the most part.  There were times she seemed a little naive concerning the background info on the other members of the circus, but in her defense she had a lot on her plate so I guess that could be understandable.  
Besides our main character, the others are an interesting lot too.  Kingston is a heartthrob indeed!  Every time I hear his name, I imagine this tall gorgeous man wearing a top hat (magicians have to have  their top hats) and an overcoat with no shirt open.  Oh goodness me!
I, personally, love our leader of the Immortal Circus, Mab of the Winter Court.  She is sexy incarnate.  She is dark, deceptive, and yet I feel drawn to her like a magnet.  Mab has this pull which is probably why everyone found their way to her; she knew their weakness and this is how she is able to get the "contracts" from them.  

The plot threads in the story are addictive.  Everyone knows that The Winter Court despises the Summer Court and yet things are not as they seem.  I wouldn't label Mab as good in the book; but I could not give the Summer Court Fey this title either.  Both courts are devious and only interested in their own means.    After reading the book, though, I found it hard to root for the Summer court.  The winter court had some very amazing creatures helping them, even though they could have been terrifying, it still was enjoyable to see them working together helping the circus.  

There is so much more to come in these books I am going to be biting my nails waiting on the next book to come out.  Mab has many dark secrets up her sleeves and I am terrified for what Vivienne  has to play in the future of the Immortal Circus.  

I highly suggest you come to the circus, where your inhibitions can be released as you experience a magically induced sensual journey into one of the most secretive and dark fantasies to come to the pages of a book.  

I wholeheartedly give The Immortal Circus five hearts!  

Connect with A.R. Kahler:

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ARC Book Review: Demons {Book 2- Seers Trilogy} by Heather Frost

Title: Demons
Series: Book 2 in Seers Trilogy
Author: Heather Frost
Publisher: Cedar Fort Books
Date of Publication: Sept. 11, 2012
Format: hardcover, 432 pages
Source: received from publisher via Net Galley for my honest opinion of it.



Kate's life is far from normal. She can see Auras, her boyfriend is immortal, and her powers make her a target. But now that the Demon Lord is hunting her, things are about to go from dangerous to truly deadly. Packed with action, mind-blowing plot twists, and characters you can't get enough of, this is a fast-paced, heart-pounding read from cover to cover.
                                                                            -Goodreads blurb

My Thoughts:

I was excited to receive this book via ebook from the publisher because it sounded very interesting.  I haven't read the first one but I didn't think I needed to because I felt like I could figure it out for the most part.  
The background information wasn't the problem; I got plenty of that in the second installment of the Seers trilogy to understand who everyone was and their job description, so to speak.  
Unfortunately, the book was just plain ole boring for me.  There were parts that would make me raise my eyebrows for a second but I just couldn't get my excitement up for this book the more I read it.  I guess there was enough of a plot in it to make me "turn the pages" until the very end but I really didn't feel any vested interest in the characters.  
I liked how Kate, our seer, was protective of her family, especially her little sisters,  and seemed to want to be there for them always.  But I just felt like she just didn't get it.  She seemed so bland for me.  Her friend, Lee, had a whole lot more personality than Kate ever could.  I guess for me, the supporting characters seemed more alive and endearing,than our main protagonists.  
I really liked the concept of the Guardians being immortal and protecting the humans that had a special sense, if you will, where they could see auras as well as other things.  The Guardians could be a very romantic idea but I didn't feel like Patrick really pulled it off.  I know he was in love with Kate and she with him, but it seemed like they were too much in love.  I know that probably doesn't make any sense; but it just seemed like this HEA didn't have any kind of personality just the love they felt for each other.  It was sweet but didn't help put any kind of fire into the novel.  
With all that being said, Ms. Frost did do a great job of describing the imagery, especially where Patrick's love of art was concerned.  I could really sense the beauty in it all and pictured it perfectly.  
Try as I might,though, Demons just didn't do it for me.  I am giving it 2 hearts because it was just that: okay for me.  I didn't hate all the characters and I enjoyed the idea of the Guardians if not the plot itself.  

You can get a copy at:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Review: All's Fair in Vanity'War

I am super excited about this book, All's Fair in Vanity's War, for many reasons.  

It is a fantasy book that has hot Druids in it.  Yep that is definitely a major plus.  But besides that, it has Celtic mythology and lore in it.  I love everything about the Irish anyways; it just seems like Ireland is a magical place. This book pretty much confirms it for me.  

This is the first book in the series, The Seer's Seven Deadly Fairy Tales, by Elizabeth Marx.  I seriously believe these books are going to be another wonderful young adult series to rock our bookshelves.  

The story takes place mainly in the town of Salem,where all the Witch trials happened.  It is about the lives of teenage Druids, vates, and bards, and one ordinary teenager that becomes very important to them all. 

This story has a lot of elements to it; romance, magical aspects, mystery, and comedy.  No one could get bored with this story, especially, when the action starts happening just within a few pages of the book.  This is a very fast paced story but still very good about explaining everything to us.

I love how the Seer in this book is not your typical one.  Most seers are wise old crones that are hard to relate to, but this Seer is just a teenage herself.  A southern teenager, mind you.  And we Southerners have some funny sayings just as this Seer does too.

Another reason I am in love with this novel is how Marx explains the Celtic mythology in this story.  The lore and myths of the Celts are so beautiful woven in here, the words just flow beautifully.  

As I read, I experienced different emotions along this journey.  I was in tears, then cheering along for the heroes, and I was constantly laughing at all the very cool sayings.  

I did struggle with some of the dialogue,although, and had to re read some lines over again to figure out who was speaking.  

There are some positive messages to take away from this story as well.  One is to be happy with who you are. Embrace the traits that make you special and even different, in fact, it is okay to be different.  

I think this story is a great addition to your reading library and I encourage you to give it a try.

Review: The Vampire King

As everyone knows I am a huge fan of werewolves and I tend to enjoy the occasional vampire story too.  Well, Heather Killough- Walden has created many books that are very entertaining to read and appeal to my romantic side as well.  

Her series, Big Bad Wolf Series, is absolutely amazing!  There are four books in this series that deals with different alpha males finding their one and only female, who happen to be an alpha in their own right.  These books I have safely tucked away on my Kindle for me to read over and over again.  

But then she drops the bomb on us and tells everyone she will not be releasing any more BBW books; WHAT?!!?  NO!!!!!

Not to worry though, she has decided to start a new series called The Kings and the first book in the series is The Vampire King.  Our favorite characters from the Big Bad Wolf World will be scattered throughout offereing different cameos but we also get to meet new heroes and heroines that will make us sweat, curse, and yell.   

I just finished The Vampire King and the hero, Roman,. is right up my alley.  He is the tall dark and handsome vampire that every woman wants to find on her way home.  He is a caring person, but has been alive for so long, that he is just plain tired.  

Then, the heroine, Evie, is just amazing.  She is a paranormal author who writes about vampires swooping in and falling in love with females.  Little does she know that what she has written about has came to her doorstep.  

I loved the fact that Evie is an author.  I am hoping to eventually become a budding author too and so Evie is my hero in that aspect.  I loved the way Walden made Evie so life like.  Yes she is beautiful,but curvy.  She is independent, but she still has others that rely on her.  And she has panic attacks.  That makes the book more believable because too many times in stories, the heroine is presented with unbelievable information and they are just like, "well okay that is fine."  But not Evie, she accepts it up to a certain point and then she is just like hold the F up!!

If vampires are not something that you can wrap your head around, this story does have witches, warlocks, black magic, and the promising foreshadowing of some other very sexy kings that will get their chance at love.  

I think The Vampire King, is an interesting start to this promising new series, The Kings, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next "King" coming out.