Friday Flash Fiction

Amy C at Romance Book Wyrm and Dottie atTink's Place have come up with the idea for a Monday Morning Flash Fiction challenge. Each Monday a new picture prompt will be posted and if you choose to participate - you publish your Fiction Flash  on Friday - 350 words, give or take. Below you can find the picture posted last Monday:

Right. I agree with Tink/Dottie - a great choice, Blodeuedd, an incredible picture, full of mystery and potential, begging for a new, interesting story, but... I promised to continue and now I was scratching my head, wondering how to do it... Well, I tried and here are the results - it is the part three of Kanji's story from the previous weeks.


When you regain consciousness, it is really difficult to say how long you was out. One minute, one hour? Maybe half a day? Kanji opened his eyes asking himself that very question. He found no answer but still was nicely surprised. He was lying in a comfortable four-poster bed in a big, well-lit room. His head was woolly and tender but no longer aching. He felt better, loads better than previously when he had woken up in a gutter. He tried to pinpoint the exact reason. After a while he found out there were several of them.

Firstly he was clean. He didn't smell like homeless trash any longer, his hair was still damp after washing and his numerous cuts and bruises were either covered by an ointment or dressed properly. Secondly he had some fresh clothes on and they seemed to be made of purest silk. He'd always felt good in silk. He smiled. Somebody not only had rescued him from the gutter but also had taken good care of him and contributed to his well-being. Everything was right again - he was a prince, he deserved the best and he got it, failure or not failure.

Then he closed his eyes and reminded himself of that particular rescuer. It dampened his spirits a bit and Kanji frowned. True, it was a beautiful young lady but at that time she didn't seem exactly the epitome of sympathy and kindness. She had spoken to him harshly, without due respect; she even mentioned, imagine the cheek, a price for helping him...or maybe it was just his feverish imagination playing tricks again and again? Perhaps she'd changed her mind? He had such an effect on ladies after all, he thought vainly - after taking a closer look at him most women definitely became nicer, softer and more forthcoming. It was a universal truth: his face was regular, smooth and pleasant, his body - well-muscled, lean and proportionate; in short he was the handsomest among six brothers, really nice to look at. Or touch. Or pamper. Immersed in more pleasant thoughts, smiling in reminiscence, he didn't realise somebody was standing next to his bed until he felt a straw touching his upper lip.

"Drink, Kanji. You are thirsty."

It was her voice and her perfume - his rescuer didn't forget about his needs. Now he felt real thirst and here you go, she was giving him something to drink immediately. Good service - it should be always that way. He took several satisfied sips of a liquid which tasted like diluted, spiced wine and tried to open his eyes again. He couldn't.

He was sleeping again. In his dream he saw another female face. Her head was covered by some dark cloth, her silhouette almost indiscernible from the swirling darkness. The woman's facial features were definitely alien, as if she came from a foreign country: large, round eyes, a short, rather wide but graceful nose, lovely lips, red and full. Kanji wouldn't mean such a slave, even a concubine. He smiled. The woman held a bottle with green, luminous substance in her hands and was offering it to him. Kanji took it - he always liked gifts and he was intrigued by her.

"Will it help me?" he asked.

The woman nodded and started to cry.

Summer mini review: Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire hunter 01) by Laurell K. Hamilton

Form: e-book, pdf format

Genre: urban fantasy, paranormal romance, crime story

Target audience: adults

Cover via Amazon

Synopsis:

This huge and well-known series (twenty installments have been written so far, imagine that!) takes place in a parallel fantasy world where vampires, shape shifters, werewolves, faeries, etc. exist. Our main heroine is called Anita Blake and she is knee-deep into the supernatural world whether she wants it or not. Her night job, and primary source of income, is the legal profession of re-animating the dead. She is also a licensed vampire hunter/executioner, with eventual empowerment as a Federal Marshal. In her world this profession involves tracking down and killing vampires who have murdered humans. She is also held in retainer for the Regional Preternatural Investigation Team (RPIT, pronounced Rip-it), which investigates supernatural crimes committed involving magic, vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures.

In the first novel, Guilty Pleasures, Anita is cruelly blackmailed by Nikolaos, the vampire Master of the City, into investigating a series of vampire murders. During the course of this investigation, we learn that Jean-Claude, another master vampire but less powerful than Nikolaos, is interested in Anita. He gives her two of the four marks necessary to make her his personal "human servant” without her being aware of it. We also learn that while Anita can usually guess the age of vampires, she cannot get a read on Jean-Claude's age. Anita identifies the murderer, but by that point has sufficiently antagonized Nikolaos and her underlings that she has do defend herself against them too. With help from Edward, a human associate who specializes in assassinating supernatural targets, and Rafael the Rat King, Anita kills Nikolaos and many of her followers. To her surprise, Jean-Claude becomes the new Master of the City.

What I liked:

• The strong, tough-minded character of the heroine and narrator is a big asset here - Anita is definitely the type of woman I like reading about. She is conflicted, kick-ass, intelligent and funny. She hates pink. She is loyal.

·        Hamilton's vampires are of the Anne Rice genre - they are beautiful, deadly and follow their own code of ethics. Many humans have become enthralled with them, but many others remain deeply suspicious. To Anita they are monsters who, when they go out of control, must be killed but they are not one-dimensional monsters. Some of them (Jean-Claude) are pretty alluring. I liked such an approach.

• The style of this book is part detective potboiler, part mystery, and part fantasy with supernatural portents. It was a very quick read, carrying me along from its first page to its last. A book perfect for a summer day although not exactly fluffy – the plot is filled with violence and gore, and yet, with the innocence and hope that remains inside Anita, you don’t feel overwhelmed by it. 

Titillating factor:

The sexual content in this book I would consider basically  PG-13 – plenty of innuendo, nothing explicit. The violence, however, is probably at the "R" rating, not too severe for a vampire novel, but certainly not for the squeamish either.

What I didn’t like:

• The dialogues the author puts in the mouths of her characters are sometimes exceedingly clumsy. The story gets often choppy, with no smooth flow between the action scenes.

• Although Ms Hamilton’s new, alternate universe, where vampires and other scary creatures are a regular part of our world, is interesting in itself I felt like I've seen all this stuff before. I’ve read too many vampire novels I guess.

• I know it is just the first part of the series but it kind of bothered me why so little was explained here – speak about a patchy world building. For instance there is no explanation for why a vampire can kill 23 people before a court order is given for its extermination. Not enough proof? There is no explanation given for why killing vampires is so hard while it’s pretty clear they are defenseless during the day; after all Anita and Edward dispatch several of the city's most powerful vampires quite easily so what’s the real problem?

•  The plot was rather predictable -  from the first chapter I could tell you how it would end and who would die. I wasn’t terribly interested in solving the whole mystery either.

• The ending was just as bad. The author, in the last ten pages or so, wrapped up the mystery of the vampire killer by simply sending Anita on a random zombie job. To top it off, the clients from the zombie job never showed up, apparently forgetting the whole deal. Sloppy.
• the cover - yuck!

Final verdict:

I finished the first book and considered it not that bad. Perhaps not exactly brilliant but still readable. Having read mixed reviews of the whole series, I am intrigued enough to pick up the second installment – apparently the series gets better.

Summer review: Darkfever (Fever 01) by Karen Marie Moning

Book info:


Form: e-book, pdf format
Language: English
Target audience: adults


Synopsis (partially from Goodreads):

MacKayla Lane’s life as a 22-year old bartender/part time student is good. Why shouldn’t it be? She is a pretty girl who has loving, middle class parents, great friends, and a car that breaks down only every other week or so. She doesn't have to work very hard, she doesn't have to study very hard, she can pick up boys on the beach every day and her older sister is her best friend forever.

Or so she thinks…until something extraordinary happens.

When her sister, Alina, is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death–a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone–Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed–a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae….

As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister’s death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysterious Jericho Barrons, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless V’lane–an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women–closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac’s true mission becomes clear: find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book–because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands…

What I liked:

I did like a lot. It is definitely not your common-or-garden chicklit novel, let alone a YA fare, although at the beginning it might seem deceptively like one. The key word here is ‘deceptively’.

Mac starts off as a shallow, vapid girl who loves sunbathing, pink nail varnish and rainbow-coloured, pastel clothes but you can feel she’s got some steel in her. In the first installment she doesn’t even start to imagine how much. The death of her beloved older sister triggers  a visceral need to find out the truth about herself and the world. The problem is that finding out the truth is more often than not as difficult as keeping water in your closed fist. Nobody shares for free and in some cases Mac simply doesn’t have the right currency to buy the info she desperately needs. That's how she learns that great looks, youth and a pretty smile are not everything. In some situations they are close to nothing. In fact they can even get you killed. As the mystery is unraveling Mac is forced to break and enter, lie (or withhold information), steal and then make deals with dangerous shady types; deals which she most often doesn’t want or can’t keep. Definitely not a typical chicklit blonde, is she?

I liked other characters as well, most of them pretty shadowy if not even slightly reprehensive in their self-serving attitude– you can’t find any clear divide into white and black hats here. Jerricho Barrons helps our heroine out but he does it in a rough manner and apparently only for his own selfish reasons. Yes, he is dark and handsome but no, I wouldn’t like to chat with him in a pub and if he ever hit on me I would run like hell on first occasion. However, Mac’s and Barrons’s mutual attraction/repulsion was snappy – I think we deal here with a fine example of a quarreling couple.

V’lane, the golden Fae prince is sometimes even worse – he toys with Mac’s sex drive mercilessly but also, in order to draw her to him, he offers more information than any other party, and Mac knows she needs it to stay alive.

The pace of narration was neck-breaking and the book kept me interested to the very end. At the end I didn’t get answers I was made looking for and I am sure my curiosity will make me read the sequels. The place the novel was set in (Dublin) worked just fine.

Finally the use of Celtic mythology was intricate and logical – Tuatha Dé Danann, Spear of Destiny, Seelie (white) and Unseelie (dark) Fae: if these words make sense to you (or if you want to learn more and you like Celtic mythology), you will be charmed as well. The take on fairies and the world building reminded me slightly of “Lords and Ladies” by Terry Prattchett but this one is definitely aimed at more mature readers as it mentions sex often and without any inhibitions (Seelie Fae are also called death-by-sex fairies, just an example).

Oh and the blue-and-gold cover with a lamppost is simply great (I saw the other one, black and red, and this one is definitely better). I love the colours and the frame - very atmospheric!

Titillating factor:


Only innuendos (but rather adult ones) in this part but I've heard there are more steamy scenes in next installments.

What I didn’t like:

The descriptions of prom-like clothes, hair and make-up, stupid names, and Southern-fried chickenisms, which fill the first part of the book, can be annoying, especially if you are not sure whether they end at all. Fortunately they do end.

The origin of Fae people was a bit too slick and too easy to be fully acceptable but I think can live with it.

The main heroine tends to learn a bit too fast without a real effort for such a blonde, empty-headed, tanned Barbie she used to be. An example: the last scene in an empty warehouse when our brave Mac takes on all those ugly Fae monsters, knocking them off without any problem although she was simply to affraid to touch them previously. It was a bit far-fetched to say the least of it. Another example: Mac's weapon (no, I won't spoil you saying what it is). Who would let her walk around with something so precious without any training at all?

As I’ve already mentioned the ending…it is obvious that the author didn’t offer any denouement in order to make you read the next installment. Clever but a bit cruel. I warn you - there is simply no real attempt to tie things off so if you don’t like such tricks and you want to read this one, order at least two first books and save yourself the whole “what-will-happen-next” frustration.

Final verdict:

Overall I am very impressed with the way Ms Moning has crafted the world in this book, and I look forward to reading how it will grow and develop in the sequels. I am very glad Jen from In the Closet with a Bibliophile decided to post her sweet mini-review of the whole series and encouraged me to start it - thanks Jen!

Image via Wikipedia

Silent Sunday

photo courtesy of my brother

Friday Flash Fiction

Amy C at Romance Book Wyrm and Dottie atTink's Place have come up with the idea for a Monday Morning Flash Fiction challenge. Each Monday a new picture prompt will be posted and if you choose to participate - you publish your Fiction Flash  on Friday - 350 words, give or take. Below you can find the picture posted last Monday:

Do you remember that poor bloke, left by me in the lurch last Friday? Down and out, barely alive and looking for his Key which had been stolen? I am very happy to continue his story.

His head was throbbing  when he heard somebody's light, cautious steps. He smelled trouble but his situation simply couldn't go worse, could it? He had been robbed, his mission failed, he was left with nothing than a hangover, a slash in his thigh and a bunch of smelly, dirty rags...He closed his eyes and sat down, or rather tumbled down, waiting for a blow or a dagger, not even having enough strength left to stand like a man and defend himself. Not this time. He was undone. Let somebody finish him - just make it quick and painless.


First he caught her scent. Magnolia flower mixed with lemon and sandal wood...underlaid by something spicy... not exactly perfume but not a normal bodily scent either. It had to be a woman's scent. Something as exotic in this place as a jewel in a gutter. Then a melodious, low voice asked: 


"What's your name?"


He opened his eyes and closed them again. It had to be the creation of his delirious imagination. Not bad for a half-dead masculine brain, not bad at all but still... not real either.


"I asked you a question. Your name." 


Her voice became imperious and demanding now.


"Kanji," he answered feeling like a fool. He was talking with an apparition or a mirage. Soon enough he will talk to himself, dance, sing and recite poetry on the streets like those insane beggars he'd mocked so many times. Oh, it didn't matter. He smiled to himself. He was dying, wasn't he, and a beautiful female angel came to collect his warrior soul with one kiss of her luscious mouth and take it straight to heaven...


"Can you stand up, Kanji?"


He frowned. Not exactly a question he expected from an angel. His beatific vision became a bit fuzzy.


"Perhaps I can. I might try. Are you real?"


A silent hiss like that of an angry cat. 


"Open your eyes and see it yourself."


He opened his eyes as he was told and she stood there, as real as the dirty wall, the silent inn and the pavement, still trash-strewn and smelly. A pretty young woman, delicate, almost dainty, scantily clad and very sure of her dark beauty. With long, black hair. The corners of her lovely mouth were twitching - apparently she was suppressing a smile. He tried to touch her but couldn't raise his arm high enough. If he only were stronger...


"Have you retrieved the Key, Kanji, the youngest and the stupidest son of the Stone Lord?" she asked and the tone of her voice awoke his brain instantly  as if she poured a bucket of icy water on his head. There was a lot of derision in that voice, a subtle mockery of the most piercing kind which made him wary despite his tiredness.


"Who are you? How do you know about the Key?" 


He made an effort and finally stood up although his legs were shaking dangerously under him. Her answer, though, made his blood turn into a winter river covered with ice floe . 


"You failed Kanji. Of course you did, like every scum of the earth with no brains is bound to. Your pathetic, weak face is the ugliest thing I've ever seen. Your name will be dishonored among your people, along with the name of your haughty father. Serves you both right, I suppose. Like father like son."


He saw dark patches swimming before his eyes and her words made his gorge rise. How could she know his most intimate thoughts and his own feelings? He started to defend himself without thinking, almost as if somebody else spoke using his mouth:


"I was...it was my mistake, I admit,  but nothing is lost forever yet and I am still ready to..."


"To do what exactly?" she cut in, her voice as sharp as a knife. "Die in a gutter? Piss into your breeches, throw up, stink some more and make me suffocate on the spot? What exactly are you ready to do now, Kanji?"


Her ironic questions lashed his face like a leather whip. The tone was especially shocking as it was coming from the mouth of such a beautiful, refined young lady; it  made him even more disoriented and desperate . It was a torture he wasn't expecting. Hasn't he gone through enough hardship?


"Help me, please. I am ready to start anew and improve matters. I beg you, help me or kill me on the spot."


She came nearer, her hips swaying in an arousing way, her smile as predatory as that of a tigress if that animal could smile before the attack. Her sweet feminine scent surrounded him, intoxicating and deceitfully pleasant. Kanji swallowed audibly, preparing himself for death. She surprised him once more because now her voice was pure, smooth, delicate silk.


"Of course I will help you , Kanji, my dearest one; especially as you are asking so nicely. That's why I came here. But not for free. Never for free. Be sure - the price will be steep indeed. I have planned everything."


Then she told him her name and her family moniker,  stroked his cheek and kissed him. 


"You are mine."


Her words were dripping with poisonous glee. 
Kanji fainted.

Summer mini review: Brightwing by Sullivan Lee

Book info:

Form: e-book, pdf format
Language: English Genre: crime story, romance, thriller
Target audience: adults 

I received a digital copy of this novel from the author free of charge, in exchange for an honest review. This fact didn’t influence my opinion in any way.

Synopsis (from the cover)

Edgar and Mallory Battle are on the run after a spectacularly violent prison escape. Now, with a trail of bodies behind them, they need a hostage against the inevitable standoff with the police. Their first doesn’t last long, thanks to sociopathic Mallory. Edgar has been hiding his brother’s crimes since they were kids. Now he’s torn between loyalty and self-preservation.

They carjack Lucy Brightwing, a criminal fresh from her own heist, with a fortune of uncut gems hidden in her vehicle. She could escape — but she won’t abandon her millions. She could kill the Battle brothers, but she has to be careful. For one thing, if the law investigates, they’ll find her ill-gotten loot. For another, her own life is sacred. She’s the last member of a Florida paleoindian tribe thought to be extinct — the Tequesta. With her share of the money she plans to buy, bribe and blackmail her way into her own ancestral tribal lands in the heart of the Everglades, a Tequesta nation.

Lucy leads them into her beloved swamp, determined to kill them. But when she falls for Edgar she must decide whether to risk her heritage and the future of her tribe to save the doomed brothers.

What I liked:

Honestly it is the best self-published book I’ve had the pleasure to read so far. I loved it so much I might start waffling so, in order to be coherent and fair, let me list its charms as bullet points:

• The trio of main characters. I loved them all. They are neither very noble nor very bad but very very real. Lucy, the creative, bold thief and a kind of native American princess, was simply charming – a strong woman but so contemporary in her methods and so universal in her pursuit of happiness. And she can share!  Edgar, a bittersweet racketeer and a thief like Lucy, but far less successful in his career, is a guy who can win your heart, especially when you find out how he’s been burdened taking care of his sociopath brother, Mallory. 
• The narration. It was done very skillfully. You know a well-written book when you are riveted to it from the first to the last page, unwilling to stop at any moment, returning when you only can. This novel was such an experience.
• The ending. A HEA but one of these which leaves you satisfied and yearning for more at the same time. I wouldn’t mind the continuation, not at all, although you don't get any ugly cliffhangers.
• The romantic thread. It was done exceedingly well and with a sense of humour. It worked for me, especially the last bits about sharing and er...learning from experience- I won't say more in order not to spoil! 
• The real life portraits of police officers and native Americans - no saccharin, plenty of grit!
•  The Native American myths of Tequesta were not only an interesting addition but also interesting stories on their own. If they are real – fine. If they are fabricated it was done exceedingly well. 
•  The Everglades and Florida. Both described in such a way I am already planning a visit. On GoogleEarth of course – I hate mosquitoes and they love my blood ;) 

What I didn’t like:

• I haven’t figured it yet. I suppose I must reread but it will take more time. Yeah, this is I suppose a real drawback - instead of working I read.
• The cover is just so-so. The novel definitely deserves something better.

Final verdict:
A great novel, Ms Lee. Thanks for giving me an opportunity to read and review  it! I did enjoy it exceedingly!

Musical Monday, 1st of August

Welcome to Musical Monday! 

What songs can't you simply keep out of your head? What songs do you eagerly return to? Would you like to share?  Here is my pick for this Monday - enjoy!

INXS's  Disappear - one of these songs which made me want to learn English just to understand the lyrics. I still love the song and here it goes - funnily enough their lyrics are still very up to date:

Say I'm crying
I'm looking at what's on T.V.
Pain and suffering
And the struggle
To be free

It can't ever be denied and I
Never will ignore
But when I see you coming
I can take it all 

You're so fine
Lose my mind
And the world seems to disappear
All the problems
All the fears
And the world seems to disappear 

Say you're mine
And give yourself to the
Feelings that you know
I'm needing
All that you can give me
All the things
That you do so well
Words are healing
Sweet anticipation
Making spells
As the shadows close in
Fall across all our yesterdays 

You're so fine
Lose my mind
And the world seems to disappear
All the problems
All the fears
And the world seems to disappear 

You're so fine
Lose my mind
And the world seems to disappear
All the problems
All the fears
And the world seems to disappear 

Disappear
Disappear
Disappear
Disappear
Disappear
Disappear
Disappear 

Say if I could
Look into myself and reason
But I could never never see or
Make sense of the dealings
Turn around
Am I looking at salvation
Make me realise all that I am
You put the light inside this man 

You're so fine
Lose my mind
And the world seems to disappear
All the problems
All the fears
And the world seems to disappear 

You're so fine
Lose my mind
And the world seems to disappear
All the problems
All the fears
And the world seems to disappear 

You're so fine
Lose my mind
And the world seems to disappear
All the problems
All the fears
And the world seems to disappear 

You're so fine
Lose my mind
And the world seems to disappear
All the problems
All the fears
And the world seems to disappear