Immortal Unchained (Argeneau #25) by Lynsay Sands

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Though Sarita has never actually met her grandmother in person, the two have been exchanging letters since she was thirteen years old. When Sarita gets word that her grandmother has taken a bad fall and may be gravely injured, she is quick to book a vacation and head to Venezuela in the hope of comforting her Abuela. What Sarita didn't count on is being kidnapped by a mad scientist intent on learning the secrets of the immortals in order to become one himself. 

Domitian has done many things in long life but Lucian refuses his help to investigate the missing immortals.  Domitian does what he can; preparing food as the expert chef that he has become in the last ten years.  When his life mate Sarita becomes involved, Domitian knows that he can no longer sit on the sidelines to please his uncle because a life mate is too much to risk.  Unfortunately for Domitian, he quickly finds out that he has not been as circumspect with his identity as he had previously believed and quickly joins the ranks of the missing and kidnapped immortals. Domitian knows that he has to find a way to keep his life mate safe and somehow thwart the plans of the evil scientist.

From the beginning of this series, Sands has used the concept of life mates as a tool to justify the insta love that has become a mandatory part of the paranormal romance genre.  For the most part it is an effective tool, particularly because unlike many series, Sands ensures that her female love interests are all grown adults, with some sense of the world and independent identity. In Unchained Immortal however, Sands has Domitian discover Sarita when she is only a thirteen year old girl.  Yes, it's as gross as you think it is.  Domitian however decides to do  the noble thing (please feel free to role your eyes) and wait until Sarita has reached adulthood and worked at least two years in her chosen profession before inserting himself in her life and wooing her. In the meantime, to ensure that he doesn't lose contact with her, Domitian hires a private detective to follow Sarita around for 15 years and send him back monthly reports on her progress.  Domitian actually thinks that he is a moral and decent person for waiting and other yhan a few moments of brief discomfort, Sarita quickly lets him off the hook for this epic invasion of her personal life. 

I really liked Sarita's initial determination that she would not be a tool and made it clear to Domitian that there would be "no sexo".  Unfortunately, that is when the life mate nonsense kicked in and Sarita threw herself at Domitian. Can we just have one female protagonist who sticks to their guns on this note for more than half a page?  It certainly isn't helped by the fact that from almost the very moment Domitian lays eyes on Sarita, he begins sexualising her.  His inner thoughts are all about her breasts and everything that he wants to do to her and only chastises himself because he has a life mate and at that particular moment didn't realise that Sarita is his life mate. Domitian even goes as far as to fantasize about having two life mates at once.  Even when Domitian agrees to Sarita's "no sexo", he decides instead to invade her mind and send images of himself pleasuring her directly into her mind knowing that because of the life mate bond that she would then want to have sex. How is this not only a violation and abject manipulation?

I don't really feel as though we got to know Sarita in this book very much. We know that she's a cop and joined law enforcement because she wanted to help people. We also know that her mother was murdered and kidnapped and that this is why her father moved her to Canada and put her in martial arts training.  All around Sarita are women who have become victims of some sort, even Sarita herself considering that she was tricked into coming to Venezuela and then kidnapped. What we know is that women in Sarita's family have been victimised but we hardly know anything about Sarita herself; she's barely a cardboard cut out.  Even admitting her love for Domitian is stripped from her and she is informed by Eshe that she is just being silly and holding onto moral conventions by wanting to wait until she has a good handle on what is going on. Please keep in mind that Sarita has been kidnapped, witnessed horrible abuse and turned against her will. What is so wrong in that situation about wanting to get a handle on a situation before admitting to loving a man who has been stalking her since she was a thirteen year old girl?  Sands really did Sarita a disservice in this book. 

Superstition, Season 1, Episode 12: Resurrection

Ok this was awful. Super super awful. It’s an offense to this excellent show that this is the episode that actually counts as the season finale. Thankfully, it’s not necessarily plot that is the problem -so let’s dwell on the plot before we have to reach the final battle which was plotted, choreographed, designed and embellished by five year olds.

The Dredge whispers in Calvin’s ear and eventually turns him to the dark side following the convoluted deal Calvin made last episode. Calvin fights despite being very very spooky and creepy - and it’s finally clear how far he’s fallen when he comes onto May. She tells him no - and he presses and starts to get forceful and the spectre of rape is in the air before Garvey interrupts. She tells Rus something is up (and Russ has also developed a supernatural database which could be useful as well. It also implies they’ve let Rus loose in their library)

May, and later Tilly, consult on this and believe Cal may be suffering from PTSD - since he is a veteran who was in a war zone. They do raise the possibility of possession though and do focus on PTSD. May confronts Cal and Cal realises he doesn’t remember anything. May thinks he should get help but he decides he’s a terrible person (he is appropriately devastated by what he nearly did to May), bringing up his dead brother and Dredge who called his soul Black.

Cal goes on to stab the Mayor - not fatally but definitely unpleasantly - and raids the alchemy room. He also has a creepy moment with Isaac when he shows off his new awesome runed bullets - which can kill absolutely everything which both impresses and slightly scares Isaac. But Isaac has a touching father some moment, especially since Cal seems to be trying to say goodbye. He does the same with Tilly which leads everyone to realise that Cal may be possessed and not just traumatised.

Cal also, finally confronts daddy-dearest. Isaac tries to talk Cal into giving up the ring - he’s realised what the cause is. Instead they fight and Isaac may be the better fighter but he’s unwilling to hurt Cal - so Cal wins. And slices open Isaac’s stomach and takes away some of his intestines as one does

Cal does try to fight against possession by trying to commit suicide - this doesn’t seem to work at all. So being possessed makes you bullet proof… He also steals The Dredge’s old host

The mayor is smart enough to speak to Isaac about his son’s stabbing rather than plotting revenge and he and Isaac are both very respectful and mildly menacing to each other.  They get together and decide to stop possessed Cal and try to figure out what he’s doing with this ghoulish scavenger hunt: apparently with the blood of an immortal (how many immortals are there out there that people have made a spell around them?), the blood of an Infernal and a blood of a virgin can all be used to resurrect an Infernal’s body - and make it indestructible. This will be bad.

And that virgin Cal’s using is his own daughter Garvey, which gives us the cringe worthy moment of a man asking his daughter if she’s a virgin. Nope nope nope nope.

Also, do abstinence-only advocates realise they’re leaving our children vulnerable to human sacrifice? Or, given its success rate, maybe they do and they’re secretly campaigning against teenaged virginity?

Immortal Nights (Argeneau #24) by Lynsay Sands

Things have not been going well for Abigail.  After her mother is diagnosed with cancer, Abigail feels that she has not choice but to drop out of medical school to care for her.  For months she acts as her mother's caregiver, putting her life on hold but its a sacrifice she's willing to make.  When Abigail's mother dies, the only relief that Abigail has is that the money she had saved for medical school and the sale of the house is enough to pay off all of the medical debt.  Unfortunately, this leaves Abigail with a few hundred dollars to her name, no job, no plan and feeling alone.  When she gets the chance to visit her childhood friend, Abigail jumps at the opportunity never guessing that will lead to her involvement in a kidnapping and ultimately, change her life forever.

It's book twenty-four and it's fair to say that there's nothing new about this story.  By this point, Sands is clearly writing her books by the numbers making it even more predictable than other paranormal romance novels.  Declaring a human a life mate is a short cut to get the romance happening thus explaining how one can claim to be in love after only eight days.  Even if I could tolerate the insta love, the idea of fooling around with a man you found in a cage after sneaking onto an airplane, while his captors are in the cockpit no less is beyond ridiculous.  Even the woo woo that is essential this this kind of story could not stop me from giving the whole thing the side eye.

I want to know where the humor went in this series? Sure, the earlier books were certainly formulaic but at least they had laugh out loud moments to distract you from how unoriginal the whole boy meets girl plot is.  The entire point of this book seems to be to rush Tomasso and Abigail quickly into sex.  They don't even know each other's names and yet they are quickly going at it.  I have no objection to porn but I do however object to bad porn masquerading as romance.

Abigail, is like many of the protagonists in that she doesn't really have many ties, thus making it easier for her to simply run off with her immortal lover.  The one tie she does have have is her childhood friend Jet who she promptly forgets about the moment she lays eyes on Tomasso Notte. In my book, this makes her an awful person.  For all she knew, Jet could have been taken prisoner.  He could have been being abused and violated or even murdered but she was too busy getting it on with Tomasso to think about her BFF from childhood.

About a Vampire (Argeneau #22) by Lynsay Sands

This is the book fans of the Argeneau series have long been waiting for.  The handsome Justin Bricker is sent on a mission to do away with the remains of some rogues and as luck would have it, Holly Bosley arrives at the funeral home because she forgot to file some papers.  Justin tries to control her but Holly takes off running in fear.  When Holly trips and dies by accidentally stabbing herself, Bricker uses his one turn to change Holly into an immortal.  It's not a wasted turn however because as luck would have it, Holly is Bricker's soulmate.

Bricker is confident that it will be easy for him to win Holly over.  He's never had any trouble with the lades before. Bricker is absolutely handsome and unlike many of the older immortals, he is in touch with what is going on.  What Bricker didn't plan on is the fact that Holly is not a single woman. Even if Holly doesn't immediately run back to her husband when she learns about her new status, immortal law forbids Bricker from interceding in a marriage.  Apparently the punish involves having one's genitals torn apart repeatedly. Sounds pleasant doesn't it?

Holly quickly accepted the fact that she was an immortal but she did not suddenly fall into Justin's arms as he had hoped. I actually liked the idea that someone would chose to be faithful and not just leap because the grass looked greener on the other side.  When Holly did go back to her husband, she found out why we aren't meant to read the thoughts of others. Though her husband continued to be caring and concerned, the thoughts that he had were not always generous.

As a love interest, beyond her faithfulness to her husband, I cannot say that I was enamored with Holly.  Holly is yet another human female love interest who is insecure about her looks. Can we just have one love interest who hasn't got body issues please?  It was made worse by the fact that of course when the nanos entered her body, they got rid of her muffin top and her few other "problem areas". I suppose the idea that people are perfect as they are is completely and utterly lost on Sands. Humans became instantly attracted to Holly and even her seemingly heterosexual female friend was flirting with her.  Not cool Lynsay Sands, considering the erasure of GLBT characters in this series. Holly also took a break in school to put her husband through university and was considering bowing to pressure to put her education on hold again to earn money.  So, not only did Holly have low self esteem, she was also the self sacrificing do it all for my man type of woman.

One Lucky Vampire (Argeneau #19) by Lynsay Sands

Nicole Phillips, the daughter of Margarette's maid is getting a long overdue divorce and putting her life back on track.  The problem is that someone doesn't seem to be pleased with the changes Nicole is making.  After several attempts on her life, Margarette is convinced that the naive Nicole needs to hire a body guard but Nicole doesn't agree.  Margarette finally convinces Nicole to hire a housekeeper/cook to help her with her busy schedule.  Margarette contacts Jake, who has been estranged from his family since his turn and talks him into guarding Nicole.  What neither of them realise, is that Margarette is playing match maker again.  Can Jake manage to keep Nicole safe while he works out his issues with being immortal and struggles to come to terms with the fact that he has just met his lifemate?

One Lucky Vampire, is another in a long list of formulaic Lynsay Sands books.  If you have been reading this series for awhile, you're completely familiar with the drill.  Immortal meets mortal, discovers their lifemates, a few problems arise and then boom eye boners and HEA.  I've read Harlequin romance novels that are more inventive than this series.  I know that Sands has to make these books accessible to people who decide to pick up the series along the way (who picks up book  19 of a series and says, "I think I'll start reading here"?), but the explanation that Jake is an immortal is just long winded and drawn out.  I found myself quickly skimming, having read this bloody explanation so many times already. I am also sick to death of Margarette playing matchmaker.  At this point, Sands needs to find a new hook to put her lovers together.

From almost the beginning of One Lucky Vampire, attempts are being made on Nicole's life but she has a reasonable explanation for each incident.  It's one thing to be laid back, but Nicole is ridiculously calm.  We see this again when Jake finally tells Nicole the truth after being badly poisoned from sitting in her hot tub.  So, Jake tries to bite her, and she sees his fangs, learns that there are immortals and just lets it soak in as though it's no big deal.  The calmness with which she accepts this is ridiculous.  Nicole is actually more worried about meeting Jake's mother and being thought of as a whore, than with the knowledge that immortals actually exist.  She doesn't even give much thought to Jakes suggestion that she become one, other than her fear that it might hurt.

In terms of female love interests, beyond Nicole's lackadaisical attitude towards her impending murder, she's not as bad as some of the women Sands has chosen to introduce us to.  Nicole is a talented artist and a successful woman and though she does have some issues with her weight, she's not constantly harping on it.  I did however dislike that she thought she needed to diet the moment she found herself attracted to Jake?  What is it with Sands and her inability to create a love interest who is secure in who she is?  Nicole also suffers from a near constant worry that she is a whore for having so quickly slept with Jake.  Of course, Jake's mother suggests that it's all the fault of the nanos and therefore informs Nicole that she is not a whore.  This just got on my last nerves.  Why couldn't Nicole have simply slept with Jake because he turns her on, rather than all of the bullshit slut shaming?

What Nicole lacked in physical acceptance, she made up for in financial independence. During her marriage, Nicole was the bread winner and she takes great umbrage to the idea that she simply got the house in the divorce, rather than the house simply belonging to her, as a result of her hard work.

Immortal Ever After (Argeneau #18) by Lynsay Sands

Valerie Moyer has been kidnapped and locked in a cage for ten days.  She stopped eating the food after realising that its full of drugs.  Having not eaten in four days and her energy almost completely drained, Valerie is about to engage in the fight of her life in her bid to escape and hopefully free the rest of the women who are being held captive.  What Valerie doesn't want to admit is that the people who kidnapped her are not mortal like she is.  Fortunately for Valerie, the immortal hunters are on the case.  When Anders first sees Valerie, he instinctively tries to control her and read her mind and is stunned to find that he cannot, which makes Valerie his lifemate.  Anders is an immortal just like the beings who kidnapped Valerie and so to win her heart, he will have to convince her that not all immortals are the same.

Anders has popped up in a few books in this series thus far.  It's about time he got a lifemate of his own.  I was really hoping that Anders's story would be huge because he has always been such a mysterious character.  I am glad that I learned his origin story but feel that other than his surly nature, I still don't really feel like I really know him.  He's sort of a blank slate and could really be anyone.  

Valerie as a lifemate is a huge relief, considering the last few in this series. Valerie actually manages to save herself twice and is not pleased at the very idea that Anders might see her as a damsel in distress.  I love that Valerie helped Leigh deliver while stopping occasionally to knock out an immortal with a hanger.  That scene really got me giggling.  Valerie is educated and while she has some issues with her body, she's not constantly harping on it the way that some of Sands female love interests have recently. All in all, Valerie is a big step up.

That being said, there are some issues.  Valerie was kidnapped off the street, forcefully fed on and kept in a cage for ten days. Sands says that Valerie has nightmares because of it and that is certainly natural but the character herself didn't actually feel like she was going through PTSD.  One cannot be held against one's will, drugged and abused and not have some kind of emotional trauma.  I suppose with a HEA looming, Sands felt it better to move onto Valerie getting the hots for Anders and moving the story along.  Unfortunately, this made the story feel sort of off to me. 

The Lady is a Vamp (Argeneau #17) by Lynsay Sands

Paul Jones has been working at Argeneau industries for two years.  Each day he looks forward to having the same break as Jean Louise, even though she doesn't even realise he is alive.  Paul, a recent widower and a single dad, sometimes feels guilty about his attraction to Jean Louise but he cannot stop watching her.  When his daughter ends up with terminal cancer, Paul quickly realises that the only way to save her is to turn her.  He contrives a plan and goes through his options only to be pushed into kidnapping Jean Louise by a visit from the infamous Margarette who encourages him to follow his heart. Paul desperately wants to save his daughter but when he kidnaps Jean Louise he finds that he wants more than his daughter live a long happy life, he wants a life with Jean Louise as well.  Unfortunately, according to immortal law, Jean Louise only has one turn.

If I had to describe The Lady is a Vamp in one word, it would be predictable.  This is the second time Sands has used kidnapping as a vehicle to have her lovers in proximity with each other.  From the moment Paul kidnapped Jean Louise, there is never any doubt that he will be her lifemate and that they will stroll into HEA together, horny but with smiles. I kept thinking, haven't I read this before?

The moment Jean Louise realises that Paul is her lifemate, she stops trying to escape and actually helps him to evade hunters.  Jean Louise's only issue she is only able to turn one mortal and Paul wants her to save his dying daughter Livvy.  Jean Louise realises that in his desperation, Paul would do anything to save Livvy and naturally wants him to agree to be her lifemate without the big elephant in the room causing a problem.  Jean Louise is clear in her training not to get to close to mortals because they die, therefore; avoiding the temptation to turn them but finds herself doing everything she can to ease the child's pain.

So, Paul and Jean Louise are supposed to be on the run from the hunters but they have time to have camp fire nights and go shopping.  No wonder the hunters found them in short order.  At this point, I stopped believing that Paul and Jean Louise are actually scientist and intelligent people.  If Sands is going to have her characters on the run, they should act like it. Smart people don't stay in the area after they have spotted.  Canada is a big country, and the two could have gone anywhere but chose to stay in Southern Ontario.  Yeah for smart people.

When Livvy is turned by Jean Louise after suffering a mortal wound, everyone pities Jean Louise because now she cannot turn Paul.  Jean Louise and Paul have only known each other for a couple of days and have already declared true love.  Jean Louise however decides that she cannot stick around and watch Paul die, as he is destined to do in 40 years because it would be to painful. I found myself laughing at this because in each book Sands would have us believe that after only a few days, readers should invest in the romance but The Lady is a Vamp proves the exact opposite.  True love is faithful.  We all know each day that it could be snatched from our grasp at any moment but we get on with the business of living.  Paul isn't facing some terrible life ending disease or condition when Jean Louise decides to leave him, he's simply living his life.  Jean Louise's decision makes her selfish and makes me absolutely doubtful that what these two people feel for each other should be labelled anything other than lust.

Under a Vampire Moon (Argeneau #16) by Lynsay Sands

After getting out of a loveless marriage, in which she was controlled, lied to and emotionally abused, Caroline is trying to move on with a Caribbean vacation.  Unfortunately for Caroline, St. Lucia seems to be littered with honeymooners and with her traveling companion not feeling well, Caroline has plenty of time to spend on the beach wondering how she ended up over 40 and alone.

When Christian Notte gets a call from his mother Margarette, to inform him that  she has someone she would like him to meet, Christian doesn't hesitate to drop everything and head to St. Lucia.  Margarette seems to have a knack for helping immortals find their lifemate and Christian cannot wait to see if she has done the same for him.  

As all things that come with finding a lifemate, things quickly take a twist.  At 40, Caroline is very nervous and scared to be hurt.  She's highly aware of her age and when the youthful looking Christian catches her eye, she knows that she shouldn't be with him.  Now that Christian has found his lifemate, he must woo her and help her get over her fears but he has to get close to her first.

At this point, the Argeneau series is incredibly formulaic even for a paranormal romance novel. Since Caroline is human, she doesn't know anything about the immortal society and thus believes Christian to be almost 20 years younger than her.  Age is a huge hangup for Caroline.  She's obsessed with crows feet and cellulite on her thighs.  Her constant worry is that people will think that she is a cougar and judge her for being with Christian.  The soundtrack to her brain is all insecurity and I found it exhausting to be quite honest. I can understand her hesitancy but Sands took it too far.

In any PNR there has to be a situation which delays the HEA and serves as some sort of plot.  In the case of Under a Vampire Moon, Sands chooses to have Caroline believe that Christian is gay.  The idea is that Caroline will relax, secure in the knowledge that she is with a man who doesn't want her sexually.  Uh huh.  She's so lonely on vacation that she thinks it would be fun to play the role of beard for a hot young gay man.  Uh huh.  And why does Christian need a beard?  Well, because his family will reject and possibly disown him if they discover his sexuality.  Uh huh.  I know, take a deep breath.  

Up to this point in the series,  Sands has only had one gay couple mentioned in passing.  On several occasions, she has used either  mistaken sexuality or outright implied that a character is gay as the stumbling point and to illicit laughter.  I for one, don't find it funny that Sands thinks the very real fact that LGBT youth are rejected by their families and left homeless because of their sexuality should be used as fodder in this fashion.  

The Reluctant Vampire (Argeneau #15) by Lynsay Sands

Now that so many immortals have been paired with their lifemates, they need time off from their roles as enforcers to take their honeymoons.  That means that the enforcers will be down a few hunters.  Cue Aunt Marguerite, who never seems to miss an opportunity to set immortals up with their  lifemates.  Marguerite decides to arrange to send Drina Argenis (from the Spanish side of the Argeneau family) to help guard the young edentate Stephanie.  Drina is eager to meet Harper but nervous because he is in still deep mourning after losing his last lifemate less than two years ago.  Somehow, Drina has to convince Harper that they are meant to be together while protecting Stephanie from the evil no fanger Leonius.

If I had to use only one word to describe The Reluctant Vampire it would be forced.  The whole thing just felt crammed together and at times awkward and uncomfortable.  Stephanie and Drina decide to trick Harper into a little shopping trip to Walmart.  There they set about tempting Harper by showing him the bra and panties Drina is buying and naturally picturing his lifemate in these things causes him to have to take deep breathes and gulp.  Then there's his whole astonishment regarding FM shoes. Really?  No, really?  It all just felt forced. Considering how young Stephanie is, I can understand that this is her version of helping the two lovers get it on, but it does not make sense that Trina played along.  

Trina has had a long interesting history which completely captivated me.  She is quite different than the modern working women who have been featured as lifemates for the Argeneau men.  Trina has been a gladiator, a pirate, a madam and even controlled a small country by controlling its leader for a time.  Trina has spent all of her life pushing back against the limitations women have faced throughout history, determined to live her life freely.  The problem however ensues when she meets Harper.  I learned about what kind of woman Trina is from her backstory but somehow it all got lost in her relationship with Harper.  Instead, Trina is decidedly motherly towards Stephanie with no hint of the hardness it must have taken to dress as a man and become a pirate.  

Hungry for You (Argeneau #14) by Lynsay Sands

Alexandra Willan is an up and coming chef who simply doesn't have time for romance.  Alex is busy trying to open up a second location for restaurant, worried about being afford the mistakes that keep cropping up while building and dreaming about earning a Michelin Star.  When Sam calls to tell Alex about a man she simply needs to meet, Sam most certainly doesn't have time for her sisters match making now that her head chef has just quit.  When Sam mentions that Cale is a chef, Alex decides that he might just be who she needs to meet.  Cale is a 2,000 year old immortal who has lost interest in most things and therefore has agreed to meet Alex to humour his aunt Marguerite.  When he quickly realises that he cannot read Alex, suddenly he realises that agreeing to pretend to be a chef might not have been such a good idea, particularly given that its been centuries since he's eaten.  

If you're reading this review I am going to assume that you've read this series.  At this point, the Argeneau series has gotten repetitive at best.  What first attracted me to this series was Sands injection of humour into the stories.  Unfortunately, that strain of humour that keeps these books interesting simply wasn't in this novel.  Hungry for You is formulaic and absolutely forgettable.  Cale is absolutely indistinguishable from any other love interest in this genre.  Let the man titteh begin. Another problem with Cale is that I didn't really feel his age.  Sure, he didn't watch television, occasionally messed up modern slang and couldn't use a microwave but none of that gave me a sense that I was reading about a 2,000 year old immortal.  

In terms of Alex, I really like that she's a modern, independent successful woman.  She comments briefly about the sexism in the culinary industry and I really wish that Sands had gotten into this more deeply.  Instead, Sands made Alex's strength come largely from the people that she has lost: grandfather and parents.  Far too often just killing off and isolating the female protagonist is how authors had depth and I think this tactic did Alex a disservice.  Yes, her sister Sam was in the background but Sam's main role really became about pairing off Alex more than working to support her.  

Killer Rayne (The Rayne Whitmore Series #2) by Alanna J Faison

Rayne has passed through her trial by fire of the first book. She has been Unmade, her family has been destroyed and her first forays back into the world have not gone to plan

Now she prepares, she rallies her allies, her friends, she claims what is hers, she demands loyalty and lays down the foundations for the coming war.  Namen Young has destroyed her family, the lives of so many and is threatening to destroy everything – and Rayne is raising what she can to stop him.

This book is relatively slow paced – and certainly a lot slower than the last one. Its story is more an interval than a closed character arc without on particularly storyline or a real conclusion at the end so much as it is another chapter in Rayne’s ongoing saga. It absolutely cannot be read stand alone – as without the former book and the book which will come next it is completely lost without context or purpose

And all of this is a good thing. The first book was so incredibly fast, jumping from plot line to plot line to event to event so quickly that a slower paced book to consolidate was needed. As part of the series this book is excellent, it gives us time to catch our breath, remind ourselves of what is at stake and who the major players are in Rayne’s world and her battle against Namen. We’re reminded of the nature of the war and what all the powers are (since this world is so wide and varied with a lot of complex forces in play).

We ran through the world last book, introducing everything at a break neck pace but without really having the time to get to know anyone or look too far beneath except to know there was a lot beneath to know. Now we get to slow down and really look at things like the werewolf past, the nature of the witches, the relationships between the characters, the society of the vampires and look at the various motivations that drive everyone

It also really laid down how this fight was going to happen – not just as an epic battle of claws and swords and woo-woo powers (though that would certainly have a place) but also through proxies and by influence and generally by controlling mortal forces and supernatural allies. Ultimately, part of this conflict began – and certainly the reason it slaughtered Rayne’s family – out of fear that humanity were going to rise up and use their numbers and new technology to destroy the supernaturals. This not only affects Rayne through her business (and her father’s arms business targeting supernaturals) but also lays the foundation for what they want and looks at the balance between humanity as victims or a threat. Again, there’s a lot interesting topics and conflicts that are now being developed to make for a much richer story

Helix, Season 2, Episode 12: The Ascendant

Peter and Anne decide to slice and dice the bodies after the gas attack last week. Why? Ah, it’s not like anything these 2 do any more has any kind of coherent motive! There’s also inappropriate Helix music and Anne seducing Peter in the shower while they’re broth caked in blood.

They don’t so much have a storyline as a game of madlibs.

Day 12

Afterwards Anne convinces him that being a murdering cult leader is so much better than being a doctor and how they will all prevail under his guidance (“they” being just the two of them) but that’s not enough for Peter (who probably realises that a cult of two is less of a cult and more a couple who are a bit eccentric on a Sunday) he wants to rule the world! (Or possibly have cultists go door-to-door “hi, have you heard the Good News about incest, rape dungeons and fungus zombies?”. Either way he wants to leave the island). Step one of operation Evangelical Rape/murder/Incest Cult involves getting past the naval blockade – so they need the cure Alan has (he does?) and then to murder everyone (because Murder).

And yes Alan does have a cure because he’s using it on Kyle. He then gives Kyle the cure to try and get it off the island which leads to Kyle having a whole “oh how wrong I was my hero Alan”. But he’s still going to turn Alan in. So Alan gives Kyle directions to a safety deposit box that contains “proof” of what happened in Paris (Alan blew up a building).

Over to Julia who is fretting because Mother is dead and with it any chance of her convincing Ilaria not to destroy the human race. Sarah is all “umm, that’s nice - BABY I GOTS BABY!” Alan drops in to join in the baby-in-a-jar love. Alan does wonder what quality of life a foetus in a jar will actually have but Sarah is happy to spend eternity trying to find an answer. She also wants Alan to join her – but he refuses because he’s too obsessed with killing immortals; she confronts him on this and he brandishes a gun.

Julia still has this pesky hope of picking which genocide she unleashes on the human race so goes and gets a lecture on Mother from Anne (honestly, I’d go to the Mycotics for information before Anne). Alas only Michael knew where Mother was and if she wants to find the location in the hopes of finding roots, seeds or scraps (which survived the island-wide nerve gas) Julia may want to check the records

With Eli’s permission. Eli being what Peter, in his new cult clothes, is calling himself. Julia finds this hilarious. Eli is still Peter and demands a huge cut of money for letting her see the archives. Olivia has also joined the cult of Eli, with the baby Peter kidnapped after killing the mother. And it seems he has found a whole group of followers from somewhere –and tells Anne to arm them.

But Olivia has switched sides again since Kyle saved Soren and she runs to warn him. He goes to warn Sarah and has a “uh… foetus in a jar?” moment. See, Kyle, this is what happens when you let Sarah wander off on separate storylines, she comes back with a foetus in a jar. Kyle wisely decides that he doesn’t want to add more ridiculousness to what he already knows. It’s time to pack up the foetus and run or be shot.

They run, chased by some extras Anne has dragged up from somewhere despite there being two separate massacres on the island. While they run, Sarah gets a crack in her foetus jar so running for their lives turns into finding a new foetus jars. Thankfully the Abby has a nice stock of foetus jars because… oh I’m sorry did you want a coherent reason for anything on this show? Silly you.

Since they didn’t get to kill any doctors, Anne and Peter realise Olivia betrayed them. So Peter murders her while Kyle hides in a cupboard and watches with Soren… really, Kyle? You don’t think you can take Peter? You didn’t think that maybe you should intervene there? Maybe then he wouldn’t have to deal with a sobbing child.

Heart to Heart (Angelica Brown #2) by Ifè Oshun

Angel’s music career is taking off. Their group has a television gig, their music is becoming popular, and they have a growing passionate fandom. Success is definitely striking and, as Angel moves to LA, she and her friends quickly have to navigate the often shark-filled shoals of show business and the music industry

And she has to do it without the support she previously had. Her mother has fallen to the Long Sleep, like any immortal she spends time in deep slumber during which Angel’s father has to tend to her and protect her. Angel is adrift –and it’s not just in the music business; she’s a new Shimshana, her hunger for blood is still raging almost out of control and her magic has unfortunate effects on the mortals around her

Including her magical boyfriend Sawyer and her band mates and best friend, Lala and Jules. It may not even be safe for them to be around Angel at all – as she becomes ever more isolated even as the crowds of fans grow.

This is one of those books I have difficulty reviewing because I feel the need to be more objective. A lot of the story involves Angel’s music career and it’s really well written. There’s glitz and glamour and a lot of excitement about the success – but it also excellently portrays the manoeuvring they have to go through. There’s a lot of forced socialisation, a lot of false hangers on and required entourages, a lot of mingling and being seen whether they want to or not, a lot of contacts, a lot of necessary parties and a lot of traps and pitfalls- even for a human, let alone a Shimshana. I like how all of the glitz and glamour isn’t fully glamourised, the underside is seen, the risks are seen, they get into trouble and have difficult situations – even little things like none of them being willing to eat Angel’s dad’s fattening food because they’re afraid of putting on weight for the cameras.

It’s really well written and an excellently involved story – my disconnect is it’s just not a subject that appeals; subjectively it didn’t draw me in, objectively it was an excellent piece of storytelling with a very good balance.

The Seventh Miss Hatfield by Anna Caltabiano

Long ago, a woman found the key to immortality, one she passed on in a tiny vial. The vial has passed through six different women now, each of which lost their identities to the ever passing time to become Rebecca Hatfield

Now the Sixth Miss Hatfield has chosen a Seventh for the gift – and curse – of immortality. To never age, but to never belong in any time, to live untold centuries, but to never know family or home or sense of belonging, to even lose everything about yourself that made you other than Miss Hatfield.

She has a mission for the Seventh Miss Hatfield – to retrieve a painting that belongs to her. But as Miss Hatfield tries to infiltrate the household that owns the painting, she quickly becomes connected to the people there, especially Henley, the owner’s son. She risks developing the very thing that can make immortality unbearable – love.

I really liked the premise of this book - the idea of immortality and time travel together makes a wonderful kind of sense and has some really vast potential. The child who became an adult so quickly, the idea that they are all Miss. Hatfield because their original identities all become so meaningless is a really powerful one

I’ve also never seen a book that did so well in conveying the tragedy and loss of humanity. Oh the genre is full of immortal being angsting in corners and dealing out impressively overdramatic monologues about how terribly sad it is to live for ever, but few managed to convey the full grief and loss that comes with outliving everyone you love. The combination of being immortal and being lost in time is a beautiful and deeply sad tragedy. As we go along, we even see the slow loss of identity, exacerbated by her being a child until recently, we see how the Miss Hatfields are created as the 7^th Miss Hatfield grows and learns – and forgets.

The book also does a really good job of establishing the connections between the characters, creating a sense of realness to them and the way they interact so the loss is all the more poignant.

But… yes, there’s a but… the whole premise feels completely irrelevant for most of the book. We begin with Miss Hatfield as a child and becoming Miss Hatfield. She’s then quickly dispatched on a mission to retrieve a painting and to do so she joins a family. The family accepts her quickly through some pretty damn huge coincidences and some rather odd behaviour

Then we have the rather nice and pleasant story of this family, of Miss Hatfield among the family, getting to know them, growing to like them, growing to love them

At this point and for a huge amount of the book the fact that Miss Hatfield is immortal, a time traveller or, chronologically, only a child just doesn’t seem to be relevant. She could be any young woman in a period romance rather than an immortal being in speculative fiction

It was a very nice romance. The characters were nicely realised, the relationships very real once we got past the convoluted beginnings. The emotion was strong and genuine. We had some lovely class issues that were addressed with the servants (including a beautiful moment when a servant questioned just how troubled and worried a wealthy lady can be considering how much peace and security she has in life) which was largely really well done and humanising (though it was shaky in places. Like one character is annoyed that they remember the names of their servants, including her personal maid and the butler. They may commonly be referred to by their surname, but it’s an absurdity that people in a house would not know the name of their butler or personal servant. Maybe the scullery maid, but not the upper servants).

Review: Rapture by Lauren Kate, Book 4 of the Fallen Series

In 9 days, Lucifer’s co-opted Fall will reach Earth. And when it does, the last 6,000 years of history will be erased, time can be re-written according to his whims and his image. It is down to Daniel, Luce and their friends to find the location of the Fall and get there before Lucifer to stop the entirety of history being re-written.

The problem is, none of the Angels remember where the Fall was. It takes a quest to find ancient relics where the Angels recorded their memories and bringing them together to actually find the location of the Fall – and all within 9 days. It’s a journey that takes them to Italy, to France, to Austria and to Egypt to ultimately find the location.

Though they have new, surprising friends, they also have both old enemies and misguided fools ready to fight them to a stand still – with friends having to sacrifice themselves to ultimately make it to the end – where we finally learn the true nature of Luce’s curse and her full history.

Luce is, again, kept in the dark throughout the majority of this book. Yes, there’s a very good story reason why she can’t be told anything (and that story reason is finally explained) but even casual questions “where are we going? Why? What are we doing?”, questions which would have taken a second to answer, are routinely ignored. I mean that, literally ignored. Half the time she’s barely even given a “I’m sorry Luce, I can’t tell you.” They just pretend she hasn’t even spoken – and Luce? Accepts this. They also make a lot of plans while she’s asleep, or unconscious or otherwise unable to contribute – which just makes her more worthless and more as a poseable tool in their hands – and emphasises just how little she adds to the story (as well as keeping us – and her – in the dark).

When she does actually achieve anything (like swimming. Or remembering something) everyone flocks around her like she’s just won every gold medal in the Olympics while simultaneously winning all the Nobel Prizes at once. The fawning is so over the top I actually re-read it, wondering if it might be sarcastic – but no, apparently they are sincerely this impressed at even the most mediocre achievement on her part. They also comfort her immensely when there is any kind of grief – even when she probably has the least reason to be grieving. When immortal beings the Angels have known for centuries – millennia even, die it is Luce who they all comfort as she grieves, Luce who needs the angels to all be ready with a shoulder for her to cry on.

Review: Inanimate Objects by Kendra Saunders

Leonidas is an up-coming new artist; outrageous, flamboyant, stylish and edgy. With a unique style and incredible talent – he has caught the eyes of many, especially Matilda. Lady Matilda August, an immortal muse who has had centuries of training, moulding and controlling artistic talent, bringing out the very best in artists and ensuring they will be remembered for generations to come. She is fantastic, larger than life with connections around the world and the power and the influence to take Leo wherever he wants to go

So long as where he wants to go is exactly where she wants to go. While she can give Leo everything, does Leo want to pay the cost for all that?

Meanwhile, Elisha August, Matilda’s immortal son is driven by revenge for the cruel death of his wife – cursed to die in his arms many years before. Elisha is convinced that his immortal magician father is behind the death and is determined to kill him in revenge. But his plotting threatens to drag his mother into his schemes – as well as Leonidas and his sister, Helena, caught in this immortal drama

This book is, in many ways, a work of art. I’ve said before how frustrated I get by overwritten works – I have a much stronger preferences for concise, plot driven works rather than reams and reams of flowery prose that doesn’t advance anything. Yet this book takes it’s elaborate prose and makes it work. It artfully uses very lengthy and repeatedly revisited description to paint the scenes amazingly well.

It also upholds its themes throughout. The pain of immortality and mixing with mortals. Of what’s actually important to an immortal. Of freedom from an overwhelming force that may bind you by giving you whatever you want. Of individuality. These are powerfully maintained throughout through the very well built characters.

And the characters are well built indeed – they’re vividly described. They’re generally pretty complex with even their surface shallowness covering a wealth of motivations We get to see their past and history and how that all came together into a whole making them all rich, three dimensional characters.

We also have an extremely good analysis of class. With Leo being treated as a pet by the stupendously wealthy Matilda who uses her wealth and influence to flutter from event to event, sure that her long experience, reputation and wealth will ensure that she is honoured and praised. Leo is arm-candy – to attend the events Matilda demands, to wear what she wishes, to meet who she wishes and, ultimately, to do what she wishes. She tries to map out his life for him and pull him in based on her fantastic wealth and contacts and what she can offer him. She regards Leo as a commodity to buy and control. Her friends and peers are astonished at the novelty of someone who grew up so poor and had to resort

We have some great analysis on Helena, who used to be fat and ignored – and now she has lost weight she is seeing so much attention – and rather than being grateful for it, she is angry about it. Angry at these people who dismissed her as a person before, who ignored her until she became thin and was suddenly worth her notice.

Inclusionwise, sadly, we only have a couple of POC who are passing background colour and not much else.

We do have a really fascinating world that’s artfully hinted at. A world where there are vampires, but we only see them in passing. A world with magicians but only hints at what they can do and what they can achieve. There’s a lot here and the hints just make me hungry for more because there’s so suggestion

I also have to give the author extreme kudos for originality. Not just style and description but the world described and the concept are unlike anything I have come across in the genre. When we seem to read books that cover the same themes over and over, it's a surprising relief to find something that is so unqiue