Review: The Lost (Celestial Blues # 2) by Vicki Pettersson

The Lost is the continuation of the Celestial Blues series featuring former PI now Centurion Griffin Shaw who has given a second chance to find out who murdered him and intrepid rockabilly girl reporter Kit Craig who Griffin saved in The Taken and has a few skeleton's in her closet as well.

The Lost actually takes place four months after the ending of The Taken. Once again Petterson sends readers on an emotionally dark path that includes Kit's past that she's been trying hard to forget including the fact that her father's death has never been solved, and Griffin's inability to put his supposedly deceased wife Evie out of his mind while focusing on his new relationship with Kit.

The Lost's front story is the fact that apparently a Russian mob has moved into Las Vegas with a new drug called Krokodil that is so powerful, that it leaves the abuser on death's bed. As a side story, there's a very dangerous Fallen Angel named Scratch that is after Kit because she burns brightly and is pure in spirit. If that weren't enough suspense for you, Kit's Aunt Marin seemingly has some secrets that she's kept away from Kit since she was 16. It's also apparent that Pettersson wants to stir up a hornet's nest by introducing Detective Dennis Carlisle into the storyline.

For readers who haven't had the pleasure of reading this series yet, the main subject and mystery has been and always will be Griffin's determination to find out who killed him and his wife, and for what reason. Tying up loose ends that span 50 years in length is not an easy thing to accomplish. Call it frustrating if you will, but, I found Kit's mock determination to continually badger and judge Griffin over the fact that he still dreams about his not so perfect wife, a little much.

The ending of The Lost has left me feeling emotionally drained, and I really should have seen it coming since Pettersson likes to torture her readers. The end of The Lost is going to haunt me until the next book is released. I find myself having serious doubts about liking Kit at the moment even though I understood her reasons for her actions in the end. In my humble opinion, they were totally, and absolutely WRONG! But, it is something that Kit's personality would tell her to do. She also spends the entire book in a mood, and not a good one. She's absolutely feeling jealously towards Evie, a woman she's never met. She rushes into situations without thinking about what the consequences are first. For the most part, Griffin is there as her protector but he can't be everywhere at once and yes, he has a job to do as well whenever Sarge calls him.

I feel really, really bad for Griffin after everything that he did in order to save Kit's life. It wasn't a shock to see Sarge's interference in Griffin and Kit's lives by revealing a shocking secret or the fact that another character puts serious doubts into Griffin's mind. Sarge obviously planned this strategy from the beginning in order to get Kit back in line. The Lost laid the foundation for the big reveal by introducing and revealing several key players in Shaw's demise and the reasoning behind it. I'm holding onto my thoughts on who I think was responsible for Griffin's death.

Title - The Lost (Celestial Blues #2)
Author - Vicki Pettersson
Released by Harper Voyager March 19, 2013
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Received from publisher via Edelweiss

Waiting on Wednesday 05/22/2013

"Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at “Breaking the Spine”, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

This week I am waiting on Hell Bent by Devon Monk (Broken Magic # 1)

This is actually a spin-off series featuring Shame and Terric from the Allie

Beckstrom series. I loved both Shame and Terric and was really happy to hear

that this series was being written. Can't wait until November!

Instead of the deadly force it once was, magic is now a useless novelty. But not for Shame Flynn and Terric Conley, “breakers” who have the gift for reverting magic back to its full-throttle power. In the magic-dense city of Portland, Oregon, keeping a low profile means keeping their gifts quiet. After three years of dealing with disgruntled magic users, Shame and Terric have had enough of politics, petty magic, and, frankly, each other. It’s time to call it quits.

When the government discovers the breakers’ secret—and its potential as a weapon—Shame and Terric suddenly become wanted men, the only ones who can stop the deadly gift from landing in the wrong hands. If only a pair of those wrong hands didn’t belong to a drop-dead-gorgeous assassin Shame is falling for as if it were the end of the world. And if he gets too close to her, it very well could be.

Expected Publication: November 5, 2013 by ROC

Find out more about Devon Monk and her works here:
http://www.devonmonk.com/

Review: The Taken by Vicki Pettersson (Celestial Blues # 1)

The Taken is the story about two very unusual characters in Griffin Shaw and Katherine "Kit" Craig who are thrown together in order to solve a prostitution ring and the death of Kit's best friend. While Griffin is a Centurion who assists the recently, and violently deceased into the Everlast, Kit is a stout reporter who wears fashions straight out of the 1950's and has no reservation or hesitation about going after a story full throttle.

Griffin is a former P.I. who was himself the victim of murder that has never been solved. He's been a Centurion for five decades helping the recently murdered find their way. Griffin can also see when death it's coming yet sometimes he absolutely misses the signs, and makes some really bad choices which leads to his desire to protect Kit at all costs; something that his bosses aren't too thrilled about. Griffin is also obsessed with finding out who killed his wife Evelyn Shaw. Griffin is very blunt, pragmatic, a chain smoker, still dresses in the clothes and hairstyle that he died in, and has no desire to listen to those who demanded that he fix a problem that he created after he helped Kit's best friend Nicole. This in turn leads to him being sent back to earth in human form.

Kit Craig is one of those characters that my mother would like. She wears June Cleaver style dresses, a Bettie Paige hair style, and Rita Hayworth face paint straight out of the 1950's. She considers the Rockabilly lifestyle to be a calling rather than a choice and doesn't really care what anyone else thinks about her or her Pretty Kitty Posse friends. She's an hardened reporter who, along with Nicole, was trying to break an alleged brothel operation that ends up with Nicole dead and the arrival of Griffin as Kit's self proclaimed protector. When she meets Griffin, he truly believes that she's flighty, stubborn, surly, and impossibly cheerful. He also believes that she talks too much, and has a cavalier attitude about her own safety. Yet, there is definitely a connection between the two that leads to a not to surprising romance as well as a surprise twist to the story.

I have always liked Las Vegas as a setting for Pettersson's stories. It is obvious as the nose on your face that she has an intimate knowledge of the town and the shadier dealings of what happens on the strip which makes the stories even more realistic. The Taken has the feel of being a film noir mystery with a bit of the paranormal thrown in which I actually liked. This being the first book in the new Celestial Blues series leaves a few questions left unanswered but that is alright as long as they end up being wrapped up before the series itself runs out. The most obvious question is what really happened to Griffin's wife, and why were they both murdered at the same time?

I think that certain readers will have issues with the religious aspects of The Taken and the demonization of a certain faith, which coincidentally, came at the height of the 2012 Presidential Election. Not sure if that was on purpose, or just a coincidence by the author and the publisher. The villain, also part of this religious faith, is definitely not a very nice or likable guy and I felt the urge to jump for joy when he was finally brought to justice. The subject of young girls being forced into prostitution while the church basically looked the other way, is also a dark and brutal subject matter to deal with. In real life, child prostitution is all too often shoved under the rug because of corruption by those who are supposed to protect the innocent while allowing the guilty to walk away free.

Next up: The Lost (Celestial Blues # 2)

Title - The Taken (Celestial Blues # 1)
Author - Vicki Pettersson
Publisher - Harper Voyager
Released - June 12, 2012
Genre - Urban Fantasy

Top Ten Favorite Book Covers Of Books I've Read

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This one was actually harder than I thought since I read so many books over the course of a year. This year has been awesome, and we're not even into June yet!  So, these are the covers that I thought wowed me into requesting from the publishers and library.

These are in no particular order. They're all good!

I humbly believe this is the best cover of the series so far!

I like that you can see the 178 which relates to how long the main character was dead

before coming back to life!

Had to pick this one since it's NYC underwater!

Once again, I really liked this cover the best out of those that have been released!

I chose this once because I adore this series and Darian looks awesome!

As if I wasn't going to pick this cover! I would be remiss in my duties as a blogger!

I like the psychedelic aspects of this cover!

You could say that It would not have mattered what cover I chose from this series!

Love the fact that the artist made her look badass!

 

Can't have a Top 10 without Jay Kristoff's covers!

Cover Loves Monday 05/20/2013

Meridian Six remembers the days before the Troika enslaved humans. She also remembers her mother, a freedom fighter who was murdered in the final battle between humans and vampires. But it is her mother’s final words that have haunted her: 

Red means life.

When M6 finally runs from the vampires who've held her captive, she finds herself used by her own race. Because in a world at war, freedom is a luxury paid for in blood.

Expected publication: June 6, 2013 Ebook

The tenth book in the bestselling and “outstanding” (Romantic Times) Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series finally reveals for the first time the origins of Gin Blanco’s career as the deadliest of assassins.

For the first time, the origins of Gin Blanco’s career as the deadly assassin “the Spider” are revealed in full. In a story that pre-dates the other nine books in the series, Gin Blanco goes through her paces to become the most feared assassin in the Ashland.

Mass Market Paperback, 384 pages

Expected Publication: December 31, 2013 by Pocket Books

No Synopsis as of creation of this post.

Expected Publication: January 14, 2014 by Del Rey

In a steampunk version of America that lost the Revolutionary War, Charmian (Kit) Kittredge makes her living investigating magic crimes and exposing the frauds behind them. While Kit tries to avoid the nobs of high society, as the proprietor of Disenchanted & Co. she follows mysteries wherever they lead.

Lady Diana Walsh calls on Kit to investigate and dispel the curse she believes responsible for carving hateful words into her own flesh as she sleeps. While Kit doesn’t believe in magic herself, she can’t refuse to help a woman subjected nightly to such vicious assaults. As Kit investigates the Walsh family, she becomes convinced that the attacks on Diana are part of a larger, more ominous plot—one that may involve the lady’s obnoxious husband.

Sleuthing in the city of Rumsen is difficult enough, but soon Kit must also skirt the unwanted attentions of nefarious deathmage Lucien Dredmore and the unwelcome scrutiny of police Chief Inspector Thomas Doyle. Unwilling to surrender to either man’s passion for her, Kit struggles to remain independent as she draws closer to the heart of the mystery. Yet as she learns the truth behind her ladyship’s curse, Kit also uncovers a massive conspiracy that promises to ruin her life—and turn Rumsen into a supernatural battleground from which no one will escape alive.

Expected Publication: August 12, 2013 by Pocket Star

 

One on the left is the US version, while the UK version is on the right!

A SHATTERED EMPIRE

The mad Shōgun Yoritomo has been assassinated by the Stormdancer Yukiko, and the threat of civil war looms over the Shima Imperium. The Lotus Guild conspires to renew the nation’s broken dynasty and crush the growing rebellion simultaneously – by endorsing a new Shōgun who desires nothing more than to see Yukiko dead.

A DARK LEGACY

Yukiko and the mighty thunder tiger Buruu have been cast in the role of heroes by the Kagé rebellion. But Yukiko herself is blinded by rage over her father’s death, and her ability to hear the thoughts of beasts is swelling beyond her power to control. Along with Buruu, Yukiko’s anchor is Kin, the rebel Guildsman who helped her escape from Yoritomo’s clutches. But Kin has his own secrets, and is haunted by visions of a future he’d rather die than see realized.

A GATHERING STORM

Kagé assassins lurk within the Shōgun’s palace, plotting to end the new dynasty before it begins. A waif from Kigen’s gutters begins a friendship that could undo the entire empire. A new enemy gathers its strength, readying to push the fracturing Shima imperium into a war it cannot hope to survive. And across raging oceans, amongst islands of black glass, Yukiko and Buruu will face foes no katana or talon can defeat.

The ghosts of a blood-stained past.

Expected publication: September 17, 2013 by Thomas Dunne Books

Kit Colbana: assassin, thief, investigator extraordinaire. Now broken. She always expected her past to catch up with her but never like this. Haunted by nightmares and stripped of her identity, she’s retreated to Wolf Haven, the no-man’s land where she found refuge years before. But while she might want to hide away from the rest of the world, the rest of the world isn’t taking the hint.

Dragged kicking and screaming back into life, Kit is thrust head-first into an investigation surrounding the theft of an ancient relic…one that she wants nothing to do with. Her instincts tell her it’s a bad idea to just leave the relic lying about, but finding it might be just as bad.

Forced to face her nightmares, she uncovers hidden strength and comes face to face with one of the world’s original monsters.

If she survives the job, she won’t be the same…and neither will those closest to her.

Expected publication: 2014

Review: Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker (Ten Tiny Breaths # 1)

*Just breathe, Kacey. Ten Tiny Breaths. Seize them. Feel Them. Love Them."

Ten Tiny Breaths, by K.A. Tucker, is a book that I could absolutely relate to. The subject matter, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, (PTSD), and how it affects one's life if you allow it to control you, is something I've lived with since I was discharged from the Navy many, many years ago. You could also say that Ten Tiny Breaths is a commentary on what happens when one drinks and drives and the aftermath of said actions on the survivors.

Like Kacey Cleary, the lead character, it's something that absolutely ruled and nearly ruined my life until someone stood up and intervened on my behalf not unlike Kacey's sister Livie and best friend Storm. The difference between Kacey and me is that I didn't have a younger sister to worry about and take care of while putting off my own life and emotions on hold. Also like Kacey, I did, at one point, resort to falling into a funk with alcohol but not drugs nor one night stands.

Unlike Kacey however, my PTSD wasn't caused by a drunk driver killing my parents, best friend, and boyfriend while I somehow managed to survive. I also picked up all my belongings, like Kacey, and left my hometown in New York behind to hopefully find a life for myself in Florida before I destroyed everything I valued the most. Yet, PTSD pretty much caused emotional turmoil with each and every job that I found myself sleep walking through and losing a part of me each and every day. Luckily for Kacey, she found a job that she was good enough at and had a fantastic boss and co-workers to surround her self with.

I absolutely loved Livie and the fact that she didn't totally push Kacey away. She wanted Kacey to have a better life and give things a chance before she totally lost her self. I also found myself wanting to hold Storm who came into Livie and Kacey's life after they moved to Miami. Storm was such an interesting character that you really had to like her energy and drive. I even loved Storm's precocious daughter Mia who brightened up this story just with her very presence.

How should I describe Kacey? She's definitely sarcastic and a bit of a wild card. She's definitely broken but not totally down and out. She's got a darkness to her humor that rivals my own. She absolutely loves her sister and would do pretty much anything to protect her including moving 1000 miles away from Michigan to start a new life in Miami. When she allows herself to, her smile lightens up the room and she doesn't allow anyone to push her around. Oh yes, she's got a temper, and an attitude, and is a really good fighter, and nearly goes a little to far in her efforts to protect Storm.

Tuckers final piece of the puzzle, the revelation about who Trent, Kacey's love interest really is, blew my mind away and threw the entire story into a totally different ball park. You knew in the back of your mind that there was something about Trent that was going to come back and bite you in the ass. I would say to readers who find themselves invested in Trent to not get too comfortable. I would also say that this pair is perfectly matched in that they've experienced things few people can relate to.

Lastly, please don't shy away from the subject matter of this book. This book was a fun ride with interesting characters who are put into situations where they struggle to find out how much they can really take before cracking under pressure. It's a story about trying to keep your head above while and not allowing yourself to drown under intense pain and pressure of being a survivor. It's also a story about forgiveness and finding love in a very unusual place.

I am absolutely interested in reading Livie's book, One Tiny Lie, when it releases. Per Amazon, it appears it should be January 2014, with the Ebook releasing June 11, 2013.

Title - Ten Tiny Breaths (Ten Tiny Breaths #1)
Author - K.A. Tucker
Publisher - Atria Books
Released February 12, 2013
Genre: Contemporary New Adult
Received from publisher via Netgalley

Stacking the Shelves for 05/18/2013

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books we received over the course of the past week. As always, this is a fun way to share what books are coming out, and in no way should be considered bragging in any shape or form. The books we receive are from publishers and authors (either directly or through intermediaries like NetGalley and Edelweiss). We also may purchase books from bookstores, or Amazon, and B&N, or borrow them directly from our local library which we should all support!

Thank you SO much for visiting my blog and checking out the books I received over the past week!

I hope you find something to add to your ever growing TBR Pile!

Received from Netgalley or Edelweiss

Thank you each and every publisher who approved me!

William Morrow & Company

Balzer & Bray

Pocket Books

Harper Voyager

Macmillan Children's Publishing Group

Del Ray

Diversion Books

St. Martin's Griffin

Received from directly from Pocket Books

Received from the Library