Book Thoughts on Friday: 1305 & 1306 The Oracle and the Vampire, Christine Rains

Book Thoughts on Thursday is somewhere for me to share with you some of the books I've been reading and really enjoyed. I'm a day late with this edition due to feeling under the weather this week, so for one week only (I hope!) it's Book Thoughts on Friday!

 

This week:

1305 & 1306: The Oracle and the Vampire, Christine Rains

A friendly warning: Although not intentional, I may give away some aspects of the story that you may not want revealed. I know I hate it when spoilers ruin my experience of a story, so feel free to halt your reading here until you've read it for yourself.
Then you can come back to see if you share my thoughts!

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Having fallen for her gorgeous neighbor might not be so bad if Harriet McKay wasn't in her hideous banshee form every time Kiral saw her. Such is her curse. True, he's a vampire struggling with a drug addiction, but he's a good soul. Yet no one could love a cursed witch, especially one not even her cats respect.

After having a vision of Kiral's death, Harriet makes it her mission to save him. Never before has she attempted to change fate, but so strong is her love. 

Kiral Ozdemir struggles to make it through every day. The craving for blood laced with drugs directs his every thought until he tastes Harriet's potent blood. The magic immediately addicts him, but she disappears. He's desperate to find her, racing blindly out into a city in chaos.

How can Harriet convince Kiral to see past her vile appearance and return her love? If only she can force him to listen to reason coming from a raving crone, perhaps she can save him from the demons hunting him and from himself.

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I was looking forward to reading this installment of The 13th Floor, particularly as Kiral featured in The Marquis and managed to escape from the roof and the sun. I was itching to find out how that happened!

One of my favourite elements in this book is that Harriet and Kiral each have a huge attraction to the other and as a reader I was rooting for them to be happy together, but it seemed like something destined to elude them forever. He is a vampire so can't go out during the day, and at night she turns in to a wailing crone. It certainly doesn't make for an obvious match.

When Harriet first has her vision about Kiral's death, of course we as readers know what happens to him and that he escapes, which makes it interesting to watch her work through the puzzle for herself. Whenever she had doubts about whether or not she could actually save him, when she didn't believe she could make it in time, I was willing her to know that it would all turn out alright and to just keep going.

Of course she did, and had the added roller-coaster of listening to Kiral reveal his feelings for her 'granddaughter' Harriet. On the one hand she was obviously elated to know his feelings, but she had to hold herself back to protect him from whatever was after him.
I was wondering when and how she would reveal herself to him, and thought it worked wonderfully when she changed in front of his eyes as the sun was coming up. This is how I hoped it would happen and wasn't disappointed. It was a truly uplifting scene for me when he finally realised her truth.

Immediately after though when they were both working to release him, even though I knew the outcome I still had my own doubts about whether he would actually make it. It made me wonder if I'd misread something in The Marquis and that he'd actually perished, but I was filled with relief when he made it inside in time.

There's is truly going to be a difficult relationship, with many things out to test them, but I hope they last together. They'll make a good team using her visions to save those they can.

Another great read in the series.

The Oracle and the Vampire is the fifth in The 13th Floor series of novellas, and the author Christine Rains will be on tour in October to celebrate the release of the series as a collection. Make sure you check it out!

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Book Thoughts on Thursday: 1303 The Dragonslayer, Christine Rains

Book Thoughts on Thursday is somewhere for me to share with you some of the books I've been reading and really enjoyed.

This week:

1303: The Dragonslayer, Christine Rains

A friendly warning: Although not intentional, I may give away some aspects of the story that you may not want revealed. I know I hate it when spoilers ruin my experience of a story, so feel free to halt your reading here until you've read it for yourself.
Then you can come back to see if you share my thoughts! 

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On the rooftop of neighboring building, dragonslayer Xanthus Ehrensvard fires at his target, Governor Whittaker. How he missed the shot, he doesn't know, but fleeing the scene, he picks up an unwanted passenger. Gorgeous reporter Lois King saw Xan's face, and she believes it's the story to make her career. Except he can't let her walk away knowing what he looks like. Xan has to show her the Governor is a bigger threat to the world than he is.

Xan knows dragons never went extinct. They evolved with human society, taking on mortal forms, and slithered their way into positions of great influence and power, just like the Governor. But it's no easy chore proving to someone that dragons still exist, and even more so, they're disguised as famous people. Xan must convince Lois or find another way to silence her. An option, as he gets to know her, he likes less and less.

After all, dragonslayers are no longer celebrated heroes but outlaws. Just as the dragons wish it. But this outlaw must make a plan to slay the dragon or risk its retribution.

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The third book in The 13th Floor Series introduces us to another of its residents, the dragonslayer Xan. As a character I found him much sleeker and professional than both Marc and Stefanie from the first two stories.

His relationship with his new companion, Lois, is much less obvious too than his neighbours. The introduction of Lois obviously threw a massive spanner into his organised lifestyle, and it certainly drew him far outside of his comfort zone. 
She bulldozed her way into his life and his apartment, along with her ferret, and couldn't have been any more opposite to him. I could sympathise with Xan hugely and his cleaning compulsions, but as they spent more time together I began to wonder if they'd make it as a couple, however unlikely it seemed in the beginning.

Lois is another strong female character, an aspect I'm beginning to love in The 13th Floor, and she's not shy about anything. I enjoyed the scene where he threw her into his bedroom to keep her in the apartment and she commented on the losing battle of his trousers. This behaviour definitely comes across as something unfamiliar to Xan, and he's contending with his growing attraction for her while still trying to battle the dragon Whittaker.

I felt his pain when, at the time he realised how strong his feelings were for Lois, he thought he'd lost her to the dragons fire. At this point I knew they could make it together, and so relief was there when she appeared on the top of the building to pull him up.

This was a great adventure, seeing the two main characters deal with the menace of the dragon enemy and also their growing attraction to each other. They complemented each other well, with her daring and boldness and his strength and ability, and I can see them taking on many more dragons in the future.

And what is it with the ladies having to point out the obviousness of the elevator to those men? 

The Dragonslayer is the third in The 13th Floor series of novellas, and the author Christine Rains will be on tour in October to celebrate the release of the series as a collection. Make sure you check it out!

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Book Thoughts on Thursday: 1301 The Marquis, Christine Rains

Today I'm adding a new feature to my blog, which I'm calling 'Book Thoughts on Thursday'.

I wanted a place to talk about some of the books I've been reading, but I'm somewhat reluctant to call them reviews. As soon as I think about writing a 'review' I go into an internal panic that whatever I write isn't going to be good enough, or descriptive enough or contain things that would make it a 'proper review'.

I'd rather just have a relaxing stroll through what I've been reading and enjoying, and share these thoughts with you. I haven't got a rating system of any kind, but if I've taken the time to get my thoughts down to be shared then I definitely enjoyed the book. 

The timing for this new venture couldn't be better either, as the first book I want to talk about is from one of my favourite bloggy friends Christine Rains.
This year she has been working tirelessly on her 13th Floor Series, and after successfully publishing six titles in the series she is ready to put them all together and release them as one collection.

Throughout the month of October she will be going on a tour across the blogosphere, and as part of a build up to it I will be offering my thoughts on all six installments. I know you're going to love them and will be ready to pick up your own copy of the collection by the time I'm done.

So, to the first story in the series:  

1301: The Marquis

A friendly warning: Although not intentional.I may give away some aspects of the story that you may not want revealed. I know I hate it when spoilers ruin my experience of a story, so feel free to halt your reading here until you've read it for yourself.
Then you can come back to see if you share my thoughts!

 

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Life after Hell isn't more exciting than watching football and fixing a busted pipe. Once a powerful demon, Marc enjoys his quiet existence and a good cup of coffee. With big ambitions to gain his master's favor, a trickster demon named Vetis shatters Marc's peace and vows to deliver Marc's head to the fires of Hell. Not before he destroys everything Marc cares about, of course.

Marc's power has diminished over the years. Heaven will never grant him absolution, and he refuses to return to Hell. Running isn't an option. The city of Carmine is his territory. It's also home to his favorite cafe owner, Mae Hopkins. The dame has a lovely smile, but it's her heart and soul that shine bright.

While his city burns and his love is captured, Marc must decide to surrender or let hate and anger fuel him to become the fearsome beast he so loathes: The Marquis. If the Marquis rises, Vetis can be defeated and Mae saved, but Marc would be lost to his demon forever.

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This was a great introduction to the 13th Floor, a secret level where all manner of different creatures reside out of view from the regular folk.

The main character living in room 1301, Marc, is the father figure to all who live there and tries to help and protect them whenever he can.

Throughout the story he is in conflict with himself about where he fits in. Not welcome in Heaven and refusing to go back to Hell, he is in limbo on Earth as he tries to atone for a previous life as a demon. I love this aspect of his character and it comes across really well in the writing. 

In contrast to his dark and brooding character is Mae, who he is deeply in love with but can't bring himself to tell her. He would rather ensure the safety of others over his own happiness, believing that by letting anyone into his life will put them in danger. He proves to be spot on with this theory when Vetis steps into the scene.

Mae brought a softer, gentler side to the story which worked well opposite Marc's strong and determined demeanour. Through her characterisation we saw she had her own strength, which she used to great effect in helping Marc overcome his internal and external demons. She saw something in him that he didn't see for himself, and this outside perspective was brilliantly portrayed through her eyes.

I enjoyed watching Marc grow as a character, from a lonely and unhappy guardian, to realising it doesn't have to be so hard to have his own happiness. 

The pain and mental journey he goes on had me enthralled in the story, and the final build up led to a very satisfying ending as a reader.

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