The Unleashing (Call of the Crows #1)
by Shelly Laurenston
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy; Mythlogy
Publisher: Kensington on 31 March 2015
Thank you NetGalley
Kera Watson never expected to face death behind a Los Angeles coffee shop. Not after surviving two tours lugging an M16 around the Middle East. If it wasn’t for her hot Viking customer showing up too late to help, nobody would even see her die.
In uncountable years of service to the Allfather Odin, Ludvig “Vig” Rundstrom has never seen anyone kick ass with quite as much style as Kera. He knows one way to save her life—but she might not like it. Signing up with the Crows will get Kera a new set of battle buddies: cackling, gossiping, squabbling, party-hearty women. With wings. So not the Marines.
But Vig can’t give up on someone as special as Kera. With a storm of oh-crap magic speeding straight for L.A., survival will depend on combining their strengths: Kera’s discipline, Vig’s loyalty… and the Crows’ sheer love of battle. Boy, are they in trouble.
My thoughts:
I have to admit that I was afraid to start this one. Shelly Laurenston is my favourite (auto-buy) author but I was nervous that somehow her new series would not live up to THE PRIDE series which I love. I should not have hesitated. This new series features the same feisty, kickass women and the same humor all wrapped up in a new package.
This is Kera and Vig's story but I can tell some of the other women's stories are going to be awesome. There are lots of friction between the girls as the story starts but by the end of the book, they are a tight unit that would do anything for each other.
Even thought the sub-plot of the story are Kera and Vig's relationship (which I loved), the romance is light and does not take over the book - which is what I enjoy in my books.
The Unleashing is almost a guilty pleasure as the all male characters were automatically the supporting cast. This book was all about the women - The Crows. I am sure we will learn all about all of them and I can't wait.
Open and Shut
by David Rosenfelt
Series: Andy Carpenter #1
Genre: Mystery, Crime, Humor
Publisher: Listen & Live on
03 April 2008
Reading with my ears: Unabridged
06 hours 50 minutes
Narrator: Grover Gardner
Whether duelling with new forensics or the local old boys' network, irreverent defence attorney Andy Carpenter always leaves them awed with his biting wit and winning fourth-quarter game plan. But Andy prefers the company of his best friend, Tara, to the people he encounters in the courtroom. Tara, a golden retriever, is clearly smarter than half the lawyers who clog the courts of Passaic County. However, just as it seems Andy has everything figured out, his dad, New Jersey's legendary ex-D.A., drops dead in front of him at a game in Yankee Stadium. The shocks pile on as he discovers his dad left him with two unexpected legacies: a fortune of $22 million that Andy never knew existed . . . and a murder case with enough racial tinder to burn down City Hall. Struggling to serve justice and bring honor to his father, Andy must dig up some explosive political skeletons-and an astonishing family secret that can close his case (and his mouth) for good.
My thoughts:
What a fun read! Someone in my Facebook bookclub read one of the books later in this series and was telling us about this lawyer and his lovely golden retriever, Tara. (I love dogs so how could I resist taking a look!) I have a problem with not starting a series at the beginning, so I went in search of where it all started, way back in 2003 - with the audiobook published in 2008 - a lifetime ago. But it has not aged at all, I felt as if it could have been written yesterday.
Andy is not your usual buttoned-down lawyer. In the beginning of the book, he seemed too fond of dishonest (in my opinion) theatrics in the court room. I was doubting my choice but after a few chapters this disappeared and he got more serious about defending his client which I appreciated much more.
All in all, Andy has a good heart, even taking payment in watermelons when defending a client :)
After the fiasco of my previous read, I needed something light and fluffy and that is exactly what I got. It left me with a huge smile on my face.
The narrator was great with a soothing voice not interfering with the story at all. I enjoyed this one and would recommend if for a fluffy read.
