Pearl's World of Romance - Reviews with a Passion: Joy Nash

Showing posts with label Joy Nash. Show all posts

March 17, 2009

Anthology - Immortals: The Reckoning

5:22 PM |

WOLF HUNT BY JENNIFER ASHLEY

Back Cover Copy:
Werewolf Logan defies his entire pack and everything he’s ever known to protect a demon woman. He must race to save the beautiful demon Nadia from his own pack.

Logan Wright's former Pack Leader, Matt Lewis, has a score to settle with him and blackmails Nadia into setting a trap for Logan. Matt and Logan have a history together and Matt is the reason Logan left his Pack, even though he was a respected and feared Pack Master. Now Nadia is put in the middle because of her connection to Logan, she doesn't want to betray Logan but the life of a loved one is at stake.

Logan was one of the secondary characters I hoped would get his own story, after reading THE REDEEMING. He is loyal, gentlemanlike but a true werewolf at the core.
Nadia also was a secondary character in Tain's book but a minor one. I was nicely surprised to see her paired up with Logan. She is brave and has a snappy sense of humor.

I loved the chemistry and dialogues between Logan and Nadia. They were representing the humor I like so much in Ashley's books. Along the way there was lots of information on werewolves, their pack law and rules. Of course Tain and Samantha made a small appearance but the story is focused mainly on Nadia and Logan and the plot, which was well executed. I did miss Amber and Adrian though.

This was a great novella and has the quality that's to be expected from Jennifer Ashley. It was complete, well rounded, a short but very satisfying nonetheless. The plot is excellent, it's mysterious, suspenseful, humorous and filled with different little storylines and angles that ultimately all link together. Not being too short but not too long either, it was enough to tell the story of Logan and Nadia and a perfect closure to the Jennifer Ashley installments in the Immortals series.

Quote:
Except now she'd kissed that mouth, felt his lips respond to hers, tasted his life essence. The magic of him has singed her primal core, tightening her body and making her crave more.

4 stars
1,5 flames

BLOOD DEBT BY JOY NASH

Back Cover Copy:
Jackson Cabot's bright future went dark in 1896 Paris, when he died and was turned vampire. After three decades of slavery in the service of Europe's brutal vampire master, Jackson discovered a secret that has allowed him to hoard power. Now, at last, his strength approaches that of his rival, and he exists solely to take vengeance on the two beings responsible for his eternal nightmare: the monster that turned him vampire -- and the beautiful Sidhe muse who killed him.

Because of Leanna's unreasonable and unjust fear of love Jackson Cabot was turned vampire and enslaved by Europe's vampire master, Armande Legrand. Jackson manages to escape Legrand and ever since he's has been plotting and planning revenge on Legrand. When by chance Jackson finds out Leanna is in the vicinity he decides to kill two birds with one stone and use Leanna to vanquish Legrand. But we all know what happens with the best-laid plans...

Leanna has come a long way since she was the evil love muse in THE AWAKENING. She has really grown up by suffering and has learned to be compassionate instead of self-absorbed. Her life has not been easy and everything has taken a toll on her: the abandonment by her Sidhe mother, the abuse by her human father and her imprisonment in Hell.
Jackson used to be a lighthearted and caring man. He was truly in love with Leanna when she used her powers on him and left him for dead, giving Legrand the opportunity to enslave him. Now more than a century later he has become a bitter and vengeful vampire with one goal and one goal only in his non-life: vengeance.
For a short story it had quite some secondary characters but they all fit in perfectly with the main characters and the plot. I enjoyed the glimpses of the two former main couples Kalen, Christine, Mac and Artemis.

This was an amazing story. The best of this anthology, one of the top stories in this whole series and by far the best by Joy Nash in this series. I never would have thought it after THE AWAKENING but this was truly a well written, compelling, intriguing and perfectly plotted story with the right amount of emotions, actions and hot love scenes. I loved the way the story between Leanna and Jackson was set up in the limited amount of pages Joy Nash had to work with. I really wonder what she could have done if she had a full-length book for this story. She mixed everything in the right way and delivered an excellent novella that is undoubtedly keeper material.

Quotes:
His mind blanked on a rush of white-hot lust. And red-hot anger. One hundred years might have passed but it would take much longer than a mere century to erase this particular redhead from his mind and his soul.

Seven decades of ruthless self-control, obliterated in one groan of ecstasy. Seven decades of hoarded power seeped through the rapidly widening cracks in the shield of death magic he’d constructed around his soul.

The wanting cut like a knife. It sliced at her soul, carving it into thousands upon thousands of yearning pieces. And more. It was as if Jackson had released every atom from her body, allowing them to float free, into the atmosphere. And then had recaptured and enslaved every particle of her being.

4,5 stars
2 flames

BEYOND THE MIST BY ROBIN T. POPP

Back Cover Copy:
Haunted by her past and reeling from her sister's murder, Jenna Renfield takes a cruise hoping to have a little fun – and escape the company of sexy, but obnoxious spirit walker, Dave Runningbear. Almost from the start, the cruise turns out not to be what she expected – prickles of death magic, ghostly wailing in the night and a creepy albino stalker. When Jenna realizes her life might be in danger, she’s more than happy that Dave followed her on board the cruise ship and turns to him for help, hoping they can both escape with their lives when the ship carries them "Beyond the Mist."

A deal struck between the goddess Sekhmet (Immortal Darius' mother) and the sea god Poseidon has now come back to bite Sekhmet in the behind. She thought to sacrifice her firstborn grandchild in order to keep Darius on Ravenscroft safe from earth's temptation (for more about this revert to THE DARKENING) because she never thought Darius would find love and have children. But he has and now Poseidon has come to collect on the deal. Out of desperation Sekhmet offers Poseidon a trade: Jenna Renfield, whom she knows through Mai and Nick, instead of her grandson.
Jenna Renfield has been going through the motions ever since she lost her sister to an evil genie (see THE HAUNTING) and lives with Nick, Mai and their roommate Dave. She's attracted to Dave but the parade of ladies passing through his bedroom is the reason she doesn't want anything to do with him. When an offer for a free cruise arrives, she grabs the opportunity to get away from Dave with both hands. But on this cruise nothing is as it seems and soon she's very glad Dave decided to come after her on it.

Jenna is a quiet young woman who has suffered many adversities in her life and every time she uses her magic it seems to get worse. So she has decided to go through life not using her magic ever again. She is intelligent and responsible. But after the loss of her sister she's also guilt-ridden and depressed. The only bright spots in her life at this moment are her roommates Mai, Nick and Dave. Even if Dave has a different woman in his room every night.
Dave is charming and flirtatious. He's what you would call a rake if this were a historical romance. He is interested in Jenna but since he thinks she won't give him the time of day, he continues with his amorous adventures. When Jenna received an invitation to a cruise he doesn't trust it and follows her on the cruise to protect her. His shape-shifting chameleon and spirit walker abilities sure come in handy when they end up in trouble.
Again an elaborate secondary cast fills the pages and like in Nash's story the two former main couples played their small part.

Since THE HAUNTING I was looking forward to Dave's story and I must say I'm glad it was included in this anthology but it kind of paled before the other two stories. This novella was kind of THE LITTLE MERMAID meets the LOVE BOAT, which on it's own wasn't a bad thing but compared to the other two novellas for me this was the lesser one. I missed intensity and where in the other novellas the stories were well rounded and compelling with this one it felt a bit rushed despite the great premise it held. Towards the end of the story it picked up a bit in intensity and plot so overall it ended on a satisfying note.

3,5 stars
1 flame

THE RECKONING

Sometimes there are books you read and you wish the secondary characters would get their own HEA too next to the main couples. The Immortals series consisted of these kind of books and I am very happy that the authors decides to team up an give the readers an anthology that provided to be both a delightful ending to the series as well as a great opportunity to give some beloved secondary characters their own stories.

Overall it was an anthology of solid quality, one with two excellent novellas and one that was good. They were three totally different paranormal stories with a bit less of the magical feeling the first four books in this series gave me but even so each story was unique and well-written and THE IMMORTALS is a series of which the books will stay on my keepers' shelf until they fall apart from old age.

Labels: Anthologies, Dorchester Publishing, great reads, Immortals Series, Jennifer Ashley, Joy Nash, Paranormal Romance, reviews, Robin T. Popp | 0 comments |

October 21, 2008

Immortals: The Crossing - Joy Nash

12:53 PM |

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Back Cover:
For Manannán mac Lir, a musician and Celtic demigod, life had become a blur of post-gig parties, expensive whisky, and cheap sex. And then the baby almost died--a baby he had sworn to protect. On the hunt for the would-be killer, Mac finds Artemis Black, a stunningly dangerous woman who's inexplicably able to intertwine life magic with death magic. For the safety of his people, he should destroy her. But the aching vulnerability in her eyes calls to him. And the raw desire she inspires has nothing to do with a spell. Their love may be forbidden, but Mac and Artemis can't go back once they've made...THE CROSSING

Mac is the son of the seagod Lir and Niniane, queen of the Sidhe. He hasn't been his happy-go-lucky self since teaming up with the Immortals to save their brother Tain. He doesn't enjoy his fame as a musician, the attention or women and feels he doesn't enjoy life anymore. He goes to Kalen and Christine (main couple from book 3) to figure out what is wrong with him and what to do about it. But before he has a chance to do so, he stumbles upon Artemis, a witch connected to all four elements (earth, water, fire, air) and able to practice both life and death magic. She has been stealing life-essence from faerie-villages and as guardian of Celtic magical creatures Mac confronts her and together they embark on a journey that has an outcome nobody could ever imagine.

Artemis and Mac's first encounter sets the tone for their book. It's intense and explosive. They meet under the most difficult circumstances but they are truly meant for each other. Both Mac and Artemis are longing to share the love they have to give.
The attraction is instant for Mac, even if she is connected to death magic. Artemis just wants to get rid of him because he is impeding her important quest. She isn't stealing life essence for the fun of it. She must do it to save someone very important to her.

Mac is a character that appealed to me a great deal in THE AWAKENING (book 3) but somehow Joy Nash's heroes don't seem to keep my attention. They don't come of the pages as the heroes in the other books do. I had the same problem with Kalen in his book. Though Mac did do a bit better than Kalen, there were some actions that were so out of character they puzzled me even when the explanation for them was given.

The heroines on the other hand do have that magnetic pull on me. As I liked Christine in her book, I also liked Artemis in this book. She needs balance of her abilities because without it things can turn ugly for her. Her attraction to Mac disturbs this balance and even though she has a powerful motive for her actions it doesn't excuse the fact that she causes harm with her death magic. She is strong, loyal and loving and her actions are well motivated. I could really relate to her.

The main players are Artemis and Mac and their journey and alongside them a parade of magical creatures passes through: sidhe, faeries, golems, harpies and demons. They form an extensive compilation of secondary characters, but all with very minor parts except for yet again an Ancient demon (Old One) that represents the evil. The secondary cast is elaborate but never intrusive. They completed the book and complemented the main characters.

Balance is crucial for Artemis and it's the main theme of the book. Balance between light and dark, balance between life and death.
I must say Joy Nash did an amazing job with the plot of this book. It kept me turning the pages as fast as I could, wondering how it was all going to end.
But this was also due to the writing style of this installment. It was magical and luscious but flowing and easy to read at the same time. I flew through the pages.

The dosage of information was perfect, providing little bits and pieces of information at a time, enticing the reader to learn more and know why the characters take certain actions. I liked how Joy Nash portrayed their journey into Hell and it's many levels, although at the end it seemed like she rushed it a bit in order to wrap things up. Still the plot was unpredictable, original and very well put together.

This book is connected to the Immortals series through Mac's character but it can be perfectly read as a stand-alone. I even will go as far and say that it's better as a stand alone than as part of the series. And I would recommend this as a great book, even, or maybe especially, for readers who are not that into the Immortals series.

Comparing it to the other installments it's much better than the other book by Nash in the series but compared to the books by Ashley and Popp I still have to classify Nash at the bottom of the list.
This has made rating this book very difficult. As a stand-alone it definitely falls in the 4-star category but I must also take into account that the book is part of a series and within that series it doesn't reach the level of the other books.

Overall I think Joy Nash did a great job with this book. I loved Artemis, I liked Mac, I enjoyed their story and their journey, I admired the plot and I had fun with the secondary characters.

Quotes:
The woman was a perfect, pure, high note. His long life was like a song that had been waiting for that single tone to complete it.

Mac to Artemis: "Immortality is vastly overrated (...). A meandering song that had no hope of ever achieving that last beautiful note. The final tone that gives the whole melody a deeper meaning"

Labels: Dorchester Publishing, good reads, Immortals Series, Joy Nash, Paranormal Romance, reviews | 0 comments |

August 22, 2007

Immortals: The Awakening - Joy Nash

6:03 PM |

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Kalen, Immortal Warrior, has lain down his weapons. Scornful of what the human race has become, he’s rejected everything modern humans have invented—until a young, badly dressed American witch arrives at his remote Scottish castle bearing tales of demons and Death Magic.

Christine Lachlan is determined to gain Kalen’s aid in the looming battle between Immortals and the demon. But first, she'll need every feminine skill she possesses to outwit Kalen’s beautiful and vengeful Sidhe lover...

Christine was everything Kalen had been desperate to capture in his art—and in his bed. But Kalen has a dark secret of his own to fight before he and Christine can join the others for the last battle.

In this third book of the Immortals the battle against evil continues when Christine Lachlan, a water-witch and love muse starts her search for the third Immortal, Kalen, in order to convince him to join the fight against death magic.

But the climbing feeling of anxious anticipating has some what died down in this book. The rollercoaster-ride Ashley and Popp took me on has slowed down a bit. Luckily it hasn’t come to a full stop for I would be very disappointed.
But I am a bit ambiguous about this on, delivered by Joy Nash. On the one hand I can’t say I found it really good, but I can’t say I found it bad either...

It started very promising with the first three sentences setting a tone I was absolutely willing to follow but somewhere in chapter two I was lost in the very long journey of Christine trying to find Kalen.
I did refind the feeling I had with the previous books, but only in the last 100 pages or so. The chapters in between were definitely not drawing me in and were certainly not what I’ve grown used to in this series.
Sometimes I was a bit lost in all the new magical creatures that were being introduced: Sidhe, Unseelie, Halflings, Gnomes, Selkies, Ogres, Brownies, Pookahs. A lot of the time I missed the humor and bantering. There was some, mostly by Mac but it was not to my satisfaction.
It took me quite a while to get into the book after the first chapter.

Because it took a while for Christine and Kalen to meet in the book it took away the strong connection between hero and heroin I did feel in book 1 and 2.
And Kalen was not my kind of Immortal. He was so detached and indifferent to the human world. Of course he had perfectly good reasons for this as it turns out later in the book but still where Adrian and Darius were very dominant and overpowering offering a good counterpart for Amber and Lexi, I felt here that Kalen was overshadowed by Christine’s strenght and determination, also by the way he just resigned to some things that had happened in his past.

But of course there were definitely some very nice things about the book too.
When Kalen and Christine finally meet the interactions, attraction, sensuality and magic between them is palpable and immensly present.
I admired Christine. She is so feisty and brave, willing to do anything to save the world from evil.
I loved Kalen’s housekeeper Pearl, I adored Mac (oh man if only Mac good get a book of his own too.... but alas he’s not an Immortal). Leanna was the proverbial evil bitch, seriously disturbed by her thirst for power and immortality.
And when the battle against Tain and the ancient demon, called Culsu in this book, started, that’s when I really had that familiar feeling again that this series ignited in me.
And it’s the end that saved this book from a low rating.

I guess when you have a multi-author series, the risk that there’s one author’s style you like less, is always there.
Book 4 is written by Jennifer Ashley, who also started the series with book 1. I really hope that one will tip the scale to amazing again. Because this series really deserves it.

Quotes:

Kalen and Leanna:
“There will be no child, Leanna.”
“But –you can’t just walk away! I’m leannan-sidhe! No man can resist me!”
He gave her a slight, mocking bow. “I just did.”

Uni to Kalen:
“Guard your human witch well. She is a true treasure. Her love for you, and yours for her, is your true salvation.”

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