The Merry Bard - by T.L. Merrybard: Dogs of My high Pack: Sam

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The Merry Bard - by T.L. Merrybard: Dogs of My high Pack: Sam: Sam was a rescue. The vet thought she was maybe two when she came into the shelter where I was working.  I don't know why, of all the do...

A Challenge To Read More... Annual A to Z Author Challenge 2015

Since joining Goodreads.com I have found many “new to me” authors and series.

As my regular followers will know, I took the site’s general “2014 Reading Challenge” and have signed up again this year. In addition to that I decided to sign up for a few reading challenges that the groups I belong to set.

The group “Who’s Your Author” discusses your favourite PNR (Paranormal Romance) and UF (Urban Fantasy) writers. Including but not limited to: Kelley Armstrong, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Jim Butcher, Laurell K. Hamilton, Patricia Briggs, Karen Chance, Lilith Saintcrow, Lynsay Sands, Keri Arthur, Jennifer Rardin, Kimberly Raye, Christine Feehan, Jacquelyn Frank, Ilona Andrews, Karen Marie Moning, Kim Harrison, J.R. Ward, and Charlaine Harris. It's always fun to find out about new authors and give yourself more books to read!

This group also has a Book of the Month and an Author of the Month. While no one is required to participate in these activities, it exposes people to new authors and books and gives people the opportunity to try new things.

So, this post is all about the annual reading challenge that the “Who’s Your Author” group have set for the whole of this year…

WYA 2015 A-Z Author Challenge

Duration: January 1, 2015 - December 31, 2015
Read: 26 books
Rules: Use authors' first or last names. You cannot use middle initials. For the letter "X", any author with the letter X in his/her name is acceptable including initials.

You can sign up anytime, and you can backdate books if you know when you finished it, as long as it was done in the year 2015.

A – Annie Bellet – Justice Calling (The Twenty-Sided Sorceress #1)
B – K.F. Breene – Jonas (Darkness #7)
C – Carmen DeSousa – The Library: Where Life Checks Out
D - Dianne Duvall - Phantom Shadows (Immortal Guardians #3)
E - Elizabeth Naughton – Marked (Eternal Guardians #1)
F - Felicity Heaton - Tempted by a Rogue Prince (Eternal Mates #3)
G – Rose Gluck – Triptych: Delusions of Love (Short Affair Series #3)
H - Elizabeth Hunter - Shadows and Gold (Elemental Legacy #0.5)
I – Ilona Andrews – Of Swine and Roses
J - Tenaya Jayne  - Forbidden Forest (The Legends of Regia #1)
K – Kevin Hearne – Hounded (The Iron Druid Chronicles #1)
L – Jane Lovering – Hubble Bubble
M – William Massa – Fear the Light: Who Murdered Dracula?
N – Neil Gaiman - Stardust
O – John O’Riley – Grumpy Old Wizards
P – Terry Pratchett – Sourcery (Discworld Novel #5)
Q – Gladys Quintal – Man Of My Dreams (The Dream #1)
R – Stephanie Rowe – Darkness Unleashed (Order of the Blade #7)
S – Miranda Stork – Vigilante of Shadows (Scarlet Rain #1)
T – Teresa Gabelman - Slade (The Protectors #6)
U – Simon Kurt Unsworth - Mami Wata (Mammoth Books presents...)
V – Victoria Danann – My Familiar Stranger (Knights of Black Swan #1)
W – Linda Welch – Along Came A Demon (Whisperings #1)
X – Kate Baxter – The Last True Vampire (Last True Vampire #1)
Y – Samantha Young – Drip Drop Teardrop
Z – Rebecca Zanetti – Scorpius Rising (The Scorpius Syndrome prequel)

So, have you read any books written by these authors? 
I am a happy girl because I found a new favourite author or two working my way through this challenge!! You can click on any of the authors' names above and you'll be taken to their website in a new tab.

Oh, and after I read each of the above books, I posted a little review on Goodreads, if you want to know what I thought of them click here.

Flora Reviews... Angel Of Mercy (The Fallen #1) by Lisa Olsen

 Angel Of Mercy (The Fallen #1)

by Lisa Olsen

Read: 23^rd – 25^th October 2015

Format: Kindle

My Goodreads Rating:  4 Stars

...So what’s this book about?

This book is the first in Lisa Olsen’s The Fallen Series (It’s listed as a 5 book completed series as I write this) and is an angel paranormal romance novel of about 249 pages which I downloaded from Amazon UK for free. (I do luuuv a bargain!)

The blurb says;

From Bestselling Paranormal Romance Author Lisa Olsen - Book One of The Fallen
I don't know why I got stabbed. I don't know why I healed overnight.

I don't know why I keep seeing the same guy in my dreams, on the sidewalk, at the mini-mart near my apartment - the insanely hot guy with the piercing blue eyes that nobody can see but me.

I have to follow him. I have to talk to him.

And he's not the only one stalking me. That guy with the knife? He's still out there, and he knows where I live.

I have to know. What am I now? Am I still human? Am I part angel? Or am I something new?

* This is the first book in a completed, five book series about fallen angels and demons, and contains a cliffhanger.

...So, what did I like about it?

I have come across Ms Olsen before; I find her writing style easy to read and I was once again impressed at how quickly she managed to submerge me into her world. All of the characters we met in this book were complex and multi dimensional and I found them all to be very believable. I am not from a religion background so I came into this story with no “baggage” when it comes to angels; what they’re like, what they do, how they interact, what the rules are, etc.  

I found the subtle humour very much to my taste  and I loved Mercy’s very real mix of intelligence and strength and I found myself engaged with her tale from the very beginning; wondering how she was going to go back to her “human” life or if she’d have to abandon it.

I know what it’s like to feel varying degrees of love/lust/friendship with those of the opposite sex but usually I get frustrated with these situations in paranormal romance (PNR) books, however, I liked the way Ms Olsen tackled this very human (fickled) state in this story; we’re lucky here to have a few angels and a human cop to muddy the emotional/romantic waters, all of who are, in my view, able to be our main male heroic lead alongside Mercy.

...So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?

Not really.

Although I will be honest, I wished that the ending hadn't been a cliff-hanger because, well, it’s frustrating, but I’m sort of ok with that because it’s more of a soft one rather than “oh no Mercy’s plummeting to her death will she survive the 10000ft drop to the bottom of the ravine…” sort of thing, just lots of questions left unanswered and an imminent danger looming. But hey, it is the first book in the series so, of course there will be tons of questions left unanswered, right?!

...So, basically what I’m saying is...

I really enjoyed this book, perhaps more than I was expecting due to my usual avoidance of “angel” themed romances. I couldn’t stop reading this book!! 

I’d recommend this book if you like reading paranormal stories based in our contemporary world where the main character has to come to terms with a new ability/lifestyle and where the relationship/romance/sexual tension part is very real to life (I don’t actually jump into bed immediately when I meet a hot new prospect – I do luuv the anticipation and build up though)!

So, have I sparked an interested for Angel Of Mercy in you? Just click on any of the links below and check out the book yourself.

©      See ANGEL OF MERCY on Goodreads.com

©      Buy ANGEL OF MERCY on Amazon.com

©       Buy ANGEL OF MERCY  on Amazon.co.uk

©       Check out LISA OLSEN’s own website

Flora Reviews... Dragon On Top (Dragon Kin #0.4) by G.A. Aiken

 Dragon On Top (Dragon Kin #0.4) 

by G.A. Aiken

Read: 18^th – 22^nd October 2015

Format: Kindle

My Goodreads Rating:  4 Stars

...So what’s this book about?

This novella was originally published in September 2011 as part of the four story anthology “Supernatural” and is a prequel story in G.A. Aiken’s popular Dragon Kin series. It is a paranormal romance story based in a world of dragon shape-shifters and I must confess to have never read any of the Dragon Kin books before.

The official blurb says:

Try a little dragon tenderness.

I am Glheanna the Decimator. I am a warrior. A soldier. I know no fear. No pain. No mercy. I do, however, know acute embarrassment! How could I not after getting dumped by a bastard dragon in front of my own troops? So I tuck tail and return to my cave, drowning my sorrows in ale—as is my family's way. But instead of leaving me to my misery, I've been summoned to the Dragon Queen's court.

As if my life wasn't pathetic enough, Her Majesty now has me escorting the highborn Bram the Merciful through dangerous territories—not exactly the best use of my military training. And just so he can negotiate with enemy dragons instead of battling them? Honestly, what has my world come to? Then again…Bram is quite easy on the eyes. And the perfect distraction for what ails me. Perhaps I'm looking at all this the wrong way. Maybe there is a place for a little “mercy” in my life…

The publication date for this book is 27^th October 2015 but I was lucky enough to be given this book for free from the publisher via Netgally.com in exchange for a fair review. 

Thank you.

  

...So, what did I like about it?

I found Ms Aiken’s writing style very easy to read and although I haven’t read any of her Dragon Kin Series before I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I was submerged into the world.

I do like my female characters to be intelligent, resilient and with a good sense of humour and I wasn’t disappointed here. Ghleanna was all of these and more, of course she could kick-ass but she also had a hidden vulnerability that added a further depth of realism to her character. Bram, as her “love interest” was just as engaging and complex. In fact, I liked the way that all of the characters in this story were written, none of them were flat 2-dimensional creations which helped them to become real to me and so engage me in the story.

I also appreciated the fact that the background story/adventure was just as significant in this tale as the romance between Ghleanna and Bram. So often in paranormal romance stories the authors forget that we (the reader) want to be gripped by the whole experience; an engaging narrative that’s more than just X meets Y and they fall in love.    

...So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?

Not really, no.

This book only missed out on a 5 star review from me because at the beginning I found it difficult to work out the whole dragon/human image and form the scenes in my own imagination. However, I must say that by the time I was halfway through this wasn’t a problem.

When talking about her series’ reading order, Ms Aiken does say on her website :

I, personally, prefer the order in which the books were written because I tease or hint about the romances of the older dragons during the full-length novels. Then in the anthos, some of the humor payoff comes out of having read those novels first.

...So, basically what I’m saying is...

This is a highly entertaining, well written and engaging novella. It is first-rate paranormal romance story with an attention-grabbing background adventure to boot that fans of this genre will enjoy. 

The Dragon Kin series is already a firm favourite with many, I can now see why and after reading this story I will be seeking out the other books in this series to read too!

So, have I sparked an interested for DRAGON ON TOP in you? Just click on any of the links below and check out the book yourself.

See DRAGON ON TOP on Goodreads.com

Buy DRAGON ON TOP on Amazon.com

Buy DRAGON ON TOP on Amazon.co.uk

Buy DRAGON ON TOP on Nook

Buy DRAGON ON TOP on KOBO

Buy DRAGON ON TOP on Google Play

Buy DRAGON ON TOP on iBooks