Review for Midnight Alley (Morganville Vampires Book #3) by Rachel Caine

A Series that Keeps Getting Better.

5 Stars. As the third book in the Morganville Vampire's series, this is my favorite book so far.

I liked the way I was reminded of little hints from the first two books when something was revealed. Like “the trap-door spider”. You can really see how the author thought about this series as a whole when she was writing.

Part of what I really liked about this book is the way all the characters develop. Shane is extra moody in this book as he deals with the fact that his best friend, Michael is now a vampire. As the story continues he grows up in a lot of ways. Claire continues to grow up as well. We see her retaliate against Monica’s evilness by ruining her party and she really starts to figure out who she is.

Also I really liked that I got to hear a little more about Monica’s background. I had a hard time understanding why she was so evil in the first two books and we learn a little more about why she is that way in this one. She never exactly had the best options or opportunities in her life, even though it seems like she has everything on the surface.

I love Myrnin. He was like the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland, completely crazy and yet sweet at times, completely unpredictable and frighteningly dangerous. He wanted to learn so badly that he became a vampire so he could learn forever. There’s just something kind of tragic about his character that makes him fascinating, and even though he can be really scary sometimes you still want to root for him.

 Jason however was a bit of a mystery to me. On the outside it seems that he’s a straight out cold blooded killer, vampire wannabe, who’s lost more than a few marbles. He appears dirty and dangerous, but there’s something mysterious about him as well. I feel like he’s hiding something.

Like the first two books, Midnight Alley was packed with action and adventure. Claire ends up in danger, Shane gets stabbed, and I was so scared for Sam. We see more layers to Amelie, and it seems that despite her cool calm nature she’s panicking and becoming desperate. Getting to know more about the doorways was interesting and this series developed new depth with discovering that the vampires are dying of some kind of disease.

This book was wonderful from beginning to end, with the exception of the traditional Morganville Vampire cliffhanger ending. I enjoy the fast paced nature of these books, but those cliffhangers make it almost feel like they’re TV episodes instead of books, and I’m not sure how I feel about that. Nonetheless I can’t stop reading.


Read my review of Glass Houses (Morganville Vampires Book 1)
Read my review of The Dead Girls Dance (Morganville Vampires Book 2)

Hidden Beneath Available Now!

Hidden Beneath (Into the Deep #2) is now available in paperback and e-book editions! Get it today at the following places.

Createspace
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Kobo

And if you still haven't read Into the Deep here are the links.

Createspace
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Kobo

Also, you can still save $2.00 at Createspace, on both books, with the coupon code 2QQWLYJX.

Books on Sale! $7.99 Paperbacks.

Paperback Sale!

I've run a number of e-book sales over the last year with Into the Deep, and I realized that I've ignored the paperback readers. I've all but shunned those who are addicted to the feel of paper beneath their fingertips and the sound of a new spine cracking. I've forgotten about those who take in the smell of printed words and the sounds of turning a page as part of their overall reading experience. Well, I've decided to rectify that. Not only am I offering a sale on my paperbacks, but I'm allowing lovers of physical books everywhere to buy my newest novel, Hidden Beneath, days before it's available for e-readers.

Get both Into the Deep and Hidden Beneath for only $7.99 a piece on Createspace today! Yes, Hidden Beneath doesn't officially come out until Tuesday, but you can order your copy today and save $2.00! Just use the discount code 2QQWLYJX.

Discount will only be available for a limited time!


Into the Deep: https://www.createspace.com/3807938

Hidden Beneath: https://www.createspace.com/4396555


Happy Reading Everyone!

Hidden Beneath Giveaway!

Hidden Beneath will be available in 5 days!
Buy it August 20th or...
Enter now to win a free signed copy!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Hidden Beneath

by Lauryn April

Giveaway ends September 05, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

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Release Date for Hidden Beneath August 20th!

"Thoughts shimmered through his head like fireflies lighting up in the night then disappearing back into the darkness." - Hidden Beneath

Hidden Beneath will be available for purchase on Amazon August 20th!

Copes will be available at Barnes and Noble and Kobo for a limited time, and Hidden Beneath will return to all outlets in November.

Both Paperback and E-book editions will contain BONUS MATERIAL, including chapters written from Brant's POV, and a sneak peak at Jen Naumann's Mind Static.

Summary:

Just when Ivy Daniels thought her life was going exactly how she wanted it, a surprise visitor arrives to shake up her world. Two years after an accident left Ivy with the ability to read minds she’s finally put her past behind her. Now, the summer after her senior year of high school Ivy is looking forward to going away to college and enjoying the rest of her vacation with her best friend Charlie and boyfriend Aden. The life altering events of her junior year of high school, that made her realize things aren’t always as they appear, have been pushed to the back of Ivy’s mind, and so has the memory of the one person who helped her though them – that is until he shows up on her door step a month before she leaves for L.A. asking for her help.

Where has Ivy’s ex-boyfriend, Brant, been, and why did he leave? Find out in this sequel to Into the Deep that will lead take you on an adventure filled with secrets, lost love, and forgiveness.

 



Read all the teasers I've released so far...

Teaser 1
Teaser 2
Teaser 3

TEASER: (Brant's POV)

It didn’t feel like home anymore. At a glance the house I’d grown up in was exactly the same, but it no longer felt familiar, no longer felt welcoming. I’d been gone a long time, over a year, and even though my father still left the sliding door unlocked and my room sat untouched, exactly as I had left it – it felt empty now.

I dropped my bag to the floor and sat down on the couch. I didn’t turn the TV on, didn’t even think about playing my PlayStation or listening to music so loud my stereo shook the walls. Instead I sat in silence and looked around the room. My bed still sat with my comforter half on the floor, the Black Keys concert poster above my desk was still curling at the corners where the tape had lifted, threatening to pop off the wall completely, and on the corkboard on the far wall, between concert tickets and movie stubs, was a picture of Ivy and me.

I walked across the room to stare at the photo. It’d been taken at this party we’d gone to at the beach over the summer. The image was dark, but we were lit by the flames of a nearby bonfire. Ivy was smiling, and I had my arms wrapped around her. That day felt so long ago.

I continued to wander around my room. On my desk was a green notebook, and inside were letters I’d written to Ivy. Shaky words I’d jotted down, scribbled out, and re-wrote in an attempt to find the right way to tell her that I was leaving. In the end I realized there was nothing I could say to her, not in words or in writing, to explain what I was doing. And so when I left, I said nothing.

“I really am an asshole,” I said aloud, thinking about all the time that had passed since I’d written in that book. I had never expected to be gone this long.

“And a coward,” someone said.

I turned around to see my father standing at the end of the stairs. He was wearing a business suit, his hands thrust into his pockets. He looked the same as before I’d left, though his hair was colored by a few more greys now.

My father cleared his throat. “So you’re back? Done gallivanting around, accomplishing nothing, or did you just run out of money?”

“I’m not staying; there was just something in town I needed.”

Dad nodded. “I know we didn’t always get along, but I never thought you’d up and leave like she did.”

Fire burned in my belly hearing him talk about her like that. “Mom didn’t leave us.”

“No? Then what happened to her, Brant? Was she kidnapped? That’s what your little road trip was about right, to find her?”

I clenched my jaw, wanting to tell him everything I knew, and yet still not wanting to hurt him. “I’ve been looking.”

He gave a humorless bark of laughter, and his stare was cold and heavy. “I’ll assume if you’re here that means you didn’t find her. I’m sorry that your search ended in vain. She’s not coming home, son.”

I shook my head. “You don’t even believe that. Since the day she left you’ve been waiting for her to come home. I’ve seen you sit in your office staring out the window as if she’ll suddenly be walking up the driveway.” I took a breath. “You’re right though, she’s not coming home, but it isn’t because she left us. She loved us.”

I stormed past my father, my shoulder barely grazing his, and I went upstairs, pulling a half-empty pack of Marbs from my pocket. I lit a cigarette as I stepped outside and sat on the back porch, where I could see the rose bushes my mother had once taken such pride in.

Review for Dead Girls Dance (Morganville Vampires Book 2) by Rachel Caine

Fast Paced and Entertaining.

 4 Stars. This book starts right where Glass Houses ends and once I finished it, it felt like these two books could easily be read as one story. I enjoyed the first book more, but was still happy to read this one.

I couldn’t put this down. It’s fast paced and sucks you in, but I didn’t really like how so much happens in so few days. It seems like the characters never have much rest. Also this ends with yet another cliffhanger. I’m really not a fan of cliffhangers. As a piece of the entire Morganville series Dead Girls Dance was great, but as its own standalone novel it felt a little lacking. I think what disappointed me about this book is that it really just felt like a bridge between books 1 and 3. That said as soon as I set this one down I picked up the next one.

We find out that Shane has a really complicated past, but it makes sense as to why he’s so moody sometimes. His story is tragic and really explains why he hates the vampires so much. I enjoyed the complexity of his character and seeing him struggle with his beliefs. Claire has grown up a lot by this book as well. She’s a lot less timid. She’s more confidant, but also more risky.

I liked that this book looked how the world isn’t just black and white. The vampires can be really evil, but so could some of the humans. Some of the things Monica does seem more evil than the things the vampires do, like when she sets Claire up to be taken advantage of.

Now that I’m on the third book I see all the little things the first two have included to set things up for the plot in later books. There are a lot of little details that I’m still discovering the meaning behind, and I enjoy that.

A smaller annoyance I have with this series is that I’m confused as to what Claire looks like. In the first book they say her hair is black and in a short pixie cut, but in this book it’s at least long enough to put in pig tails and not black. I’m hoping the next book with provide a clearer picture of her.

Overall I'm really enjoying this series, and plan to continue with it.

Read my review of Glass Houses (Morganville Vampires Book 1)

Cover Reveal: Mind Static by Jen Naumann

I have something brand new to share with everyone. Fellow author and friend, Jen Naumann has a new book coming out this month called Mind Static, and I'm lucky enough to be able to share with all of you the cover which she's just released today. So read on for info about this book and check out that awesome cover!

 

Synopsis:

Although life has been pretty good to Keyanna Sanders, the day she turns eighteen she’s about to get everything she could ever wish for—a hot guy who’s really into her, a sporty car she’s always dreamed of owning, and the party of a lifetime that no one will forget any time soon.

But before long, she’ll understand these wishes are more than a coincidence, and that they come at a steep price. Keyanna is more than just an average high school senior, her best friend is more than the innocent boy next door, and her sudden good fortune isn’t just by chance. When her estranged father suddenly re-enters her life, she’ll have to decide who to trust, and whether or not the man she loves has suddenly become the enemy.

Coming August 2013

Jen Naumann

Author of Young Adult and New Adult Fiction

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