Book Review: Banshee Charmer by Tiffany Allee

Title: Banshee Charmer
Author: Tiffany Allee
Release date: 24 January 2012
Number of pages: 159 pages
Series: Book #1 in the From the Files of the Otherworlder Enforcement Agency series
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Source: review copy provided by publisher via NetGalley
Purchasing Info: Goodreads, Author's Website, Amazon

Grade: 4.5 stars

Novellus superbus!

Goodreads appetizer:When she’s sent to a crime scene and finds her second dead woman in as many weeks, half-banshee detective Kiera “Mac” McLoughlin is convinced a serial killer is on the loose. Incubi are extinct, her boss insists. But what else can kill a woman in the throes of pleasure? When her partner is murdered after using witchcraft to locate the killer and Mac is thrown off the case, her frustration turns to desperation.

Certain the killer is an incubus, Mac works behind her department’s back to chase down slim, sometimes perilous leads. While the killer eludes her, she does discover handsome Aidan Byrne, an investigative counterpart from the enigmatic Otherworlder Enforcement Agency. Mac typically runs her investigations fast and hard, but with Aidan at her side, she’s running this one “hot” as well. But Aidan knows more than he’s letting on—something that could shatter their blazing romance and add Mac to the killer’s growing body count...

My Thoughts: Banshee Charmer is the first book in a new series and I couldn't be happier that there will be more coming! In her debut novel Tiffany Allee not only managed to captivate me with her exciting and vivid storytelling but she won me over and made me an enthusiastic fan of her new From the Files of the Otherworlder series.

The universe of Banshee Charmer is quite unique: supernatural species are "out" but still some (or rather most) of the humans see them as "freaks" and are wary and scared of the unknown. Kiera McLoughlin, called Mac by her colleagues and friends, is a cop: a homicide detective, oh yeah and a half-banshee as well, working in the special paranormal unit of the Chicago Police Department or "Freaks Division" as the others call it. Mac is working along witches, vampires and other creatures of the night, tracking goblins, incubi and other paranormal criminals. She is just in the middle of investigating a serial killer case when her partner is murdered and Aidan an agent from the Otherworlder Enforcement Agency (OWEA) - which is the paranormal equivalent of the FBI - appears to offer his help in catching the killer.

The air between Mac and Aidan sizzles constantly (oh my that first kissing scene between them was such an incredible off-the-charts-goosebump-inducing-heartrate-accelerating first kiss whew!), and it's a credit to Tiffany Allee's vivid writing that Aidan's potent charm and charisma is strong enough to transcend the pages and have the reader fall under his spell even by merely reading about him. Both Mac and Aidan were well fleshed out despite the short length of the novel and I can't wait to read the next books to learn even more about them.

Banshee Charmer combines the best of police procedural, paranormal romance and urban fantasy genres: the mystery and Mac and Aidan's chase to uncover it was thrilling, the characters are layered and interesting, the world-building rich and unique, Tiffany Allee's writing flows easily and her narrative is descriptive and detailed enough without being weighed down. Her story captivated me and I gobbled up Banshee Charmer without coming up for a break.

Verdict: Banshee Charmer is a gripping, exciting debut to a fantastic new series! The mystery plot was intriguing, the world-building complex and the love story sizzling. Perfect mix and great story, I loved Banshee Charmer and I'm impatiently looking forward to the sequel!

Plot: 8/10
Characters: 9/10
Writing: 9/10
Ending: 9/10
Cover: 7/10 - I'm not a fan of the guy they chose to portray Aidan :-/


Buy it:

Interview with Tiffany Allee + Giveaway

Today I am very happy to welcome to Ex Libris Tiffany Allee, author of the wonderful debut novel Banshee Charmer, the first book in the exciting new paranormal series: The Files of the Otherworlder Enforcer Agency. Banshee Charmer is an enchanting and very exciting story combining the best of the police procedural and paranormal romance, urban fantasy genres. I loved it as you can see in my review, you can check out why I enjoyed it so much here. So please give a warm welcome to Tiffany who was kind enough to answer all my questions :-)

Stella: Hi Tiffany, welcome to Ex Libris! Can you tell us why you chose to have your novel feature a banshee? What inspired you to have such an extraordinary heroine? Banshees are not explored much in UF/paranormal novels yet.

Tiffany: The fact that banshees are mostly unexplored in the genre is precisely why I chose a banshee. It's not that I don't enjoy the types of supernatural creatures currently featured in many paranormal romance novels, but I thought that something different might be fun. It also gave me a lot of leeway. Oh sure, lots of people know about banshee lore, but it hadn't been changed by too many author's ideas yet. It left me lots of room to make up my own twist on the legend.

Stella: What kind of research did you do for the novel? Did you research the different mythologies behind banshees, incubi, etc? Or did you make up the specifics of your lore/species yourself?

Tiffany: I researched quite a bit, from online sources to my own little store of books on mythical creatures. I won't say that I stuck to the research, but I did try to keep some of the flavor and abilities of the creatures intact. My vampires suck blood, my banshees scream, my incubi seduce. But many of the twists on the species are specific to my world and don't come from the research.

Stella: Can you tell those readers who haven't had the chance yet to discover Banshee Charmer a bit about the universe?

Tiffany: In the Banshee Charmer universe, otherworlders—inhuman creatures such as vampires, selkies, and succubi—coexist with humans in a world very similar to our own. They all work side-by-side, although not always happily.

The series focuses on detectives in the paranormal unit of the Chicago Police Department working alongside agents from the Otherworlder Enforcement Agency (OWEA), which functions similarly to the FBI.

Stella: The police procedural part of the story read very realistic, was it a challenge trying to blend such a fantasy universe with the different supernatural species into the real world?

Tiffany: Thank you, I'm glad it came across realistically. It was definitely a challenge, and I had to think through some of the issues that might arise from these so-called "freaks" working alongside normal people. I was able to work a few of the touches into the actual story, such as anti-discrimination laws geared toward keeping people from discriminating against otherworlders, and weapons laws and how they apply to otherworlders with lethal powers.

Stella: Why is the novel called Banshee Charmer? I am curious to read your thoughts and explanation on that. Did you choose this title or was this more a result of a group brainstorming? I get the obvious banshee reference, it's the Charmer part I'm trying to figure out the hidden or more subtle meaning behind.

Tiffany: I've actually seen a bit of confusion over the title, so I guess not everyone is privy to what is happening in my brain--imagine that! Haha. The title, Banshee Charmer, refers to Aidan. He charms the banshee, for good or ill, with his charming nature and his well super hotness.

Stella: Ooh now I get it! And what a perfect title then!! :-D Can you tell us when we can finally see Mac and Aidan again, and give us a little teaser about what the sequel will be about? Any idea or plan about how many books there will be in the series?

Tiffany: Three more novellas are currently planned for the series. Readers will get to see how Mac and Aidan are getting along in the next novella, but the focus of that story is actually on the succubus, Marisol. I don't want to spoil it, but let's just say someone steals something very valuable to her. :-)

Stella: Which supernatural creature do you find the scariest and why is that?

Tiffany: I think it depends on the story. Some writers make vampires and lycanthropes scary, while in other stories they're more sexy than scary. I think the most fearsome creatures are ones who are unidentified—scary monsters that attack in the dark.

Stella: Do banshees have any additional powers in your world besides the death scream?

Tiffany: Fully powered banshees are not only able to kill with their screams, but can also foresee death. Unfortunately, this type of vision usually causes them to scream, which makes it dangerous for them to live among humans.

Luckily for our heroine in Banshee Charmer, she's not fully powered. She's what they call a half-banshee, which is really a banshee who doesn't have all the powers of a normal banshee. Mac is able to stun with her scream, but she doesn't get visions (thank goodness, considering her line of work).

Stella: If you had to create a tagline for Banshee Charmer, what sentence do you think would describe it well and give readers a taste of what to expect?

Tiffany: Love, murder, and mystery—a scream of a read. Haha! I'm terrible at taglines. Please don't let this one dissuade you from reading Banshee Charmer.

Stella: Do you have any other plans, projects you'd like to tell us about? What can we next expect from you?

Tiffany: The sequel for Banshee Charmer is currently slated to release in April. I also have a novelette called Once Prey, Twice Forsaken coming out in June. It's about a newly made vampire running from a witch hunter, who turns out to be her lost love.

Thank you so much for having me here today!

Stella: Thank you for stopping by Tiffany! :-)

Banshee Charmer

When she’s sent to a crime scene and finds her second dead woman in as many weeks, half-banshee detective Kiera “Mac” McLoughlin is convinced a serial killer is on the loose. Incubi are extinct, her boss insists. But what else can kill a woman in the throes of pleasure? When her partner is murdered after using witchcraft to locate the killer and Mac is thrown off the case, her frustration turns to desperation.

Certain the killer is an incubus, Mac works behind her department’s back to chase down slim, sometimes perilous leads. While the killer eludes her, she does discover handsome Aidan Byrne, an investigative counterpart from the enigmatic Otherworlder Enforcement Agency. Mac typically runs her investigations fast and hard, but with Aidan at her side, she’s running this one “hot” as well. But Aidan knows more than he’s letting on—something that could shatter their blazing romance and add Mac to the killer’s growing body count...

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Tiffany Allee currently lives in Phoenix, AZ, by way of Chicago and Denver, and is happily married to a secret romantic. She spends her days working in Corporate America while daydreaming about sexy heroes, ass-kicking heroines, and interesting ways to kill people (for her books, of course). Her nights are reserved for writing and bothering her husband and cats (according to them). Her passions include reading, chocolate, travel, wine, and family.

Tiffany's Website: http://tiffanyallee.com/
Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/authortiffanyallee
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/TiffanyAllee

GIVEAWAY RULES:

Entangled Publishing generously offered one ebook copy of Banshee Charmer to a lucky commenter.

All you have to do is

1) leave a comment or question for Tiffany (either regarding the interview, her novel or banshees or other supernatural creatures in general :-) AND

2) leave me a way to contact you in case you win (e-mail address, Twitter handle, etc.)

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 5 February 2012.

Good luck!

Book Review: The Bodyguards' Princess by Ann Mayburn

Title: The Bodyguards' Princess
Author: Ann Mayburn
Release Date: 30 July 2011
Number of pages: 132 pages
Publisher: Liquid Silver Books
Source: review copy provided by author
Purchasing Info: Goodreads, Author's Website, Amazon

Grade: 3 stars

Novellus bonus!

Goodreads appetizer: Lalita Chetana, daughter of a United Nations Diplomat, survives an attempted kidnapping by a terrorist group known as the anarchists. She has a difficult time with her recovery, and her father hires two bodyguards, ex-Marines Asher Epson and Kent Warne, to keep her safe and give her time to heal. Unfortunately, even their skills can't save her from an enemy determined to destroy her.

Hypnotized into stealing UN secrets, she is framed by the anarchists. As part of their plan to humiliate and break her father, they plant a hypnotic trigger that anytime she hears the word “bitch” she will become aroused to the point of pain. She is forced to flee and go into hiding with Asher and Kent. The men become unable to hide their real feelings for her after her trigger is hit and they have to relieve her of her sexual torment.

Warning: This book contains hot,dominant men who will do anything to please their lady including light bondage, spanking, public caning, and decadent ménages.

This review was originally posted at Book Lovers Inc.

My Thoughts: I discovered Ann Mayburn through her latest novel released in October, The Breaker's Concubine, which garnered my attention due to Susi's review. I gobbled it up and loved Ann's rich and unique worldbuilding and scorching hot writing, so when I started reading The Bodyguards' Princess I was expecting the same sparks and magic.

The Bodyguards' Princess is the story of Lalita, the shy goth daughter of an Indian UN diplomat. Due to his position and importance in world politics, to protect his daughter Lalita's father employs two bodyguards to keep Lalita safe from all threats. Asher and Kent are both highly capable and droolworthy gorgeous male specimen, no wonder Lalita can't help but dreamily stare at them when they are near her. Their virility and fine bodies inspire countless steamy fantasies for her.

The Bodyguards' Princess was very hot and erotic, the seduction and sensual scenes between the trio burning up the sheets.

Surprise filled his eyes, quickly chased away by desire. Ever so slowly, he lowered his lips to hers, and she could have wept as he finally kissed her. Soft, sure, hungry, his kiss was everything she had imagined, everything she dreamed.

What made me ambivalent about this story is a personal preference: Asher and Kent, besides being good friends are in love with each other. So it is not the two men being there to satisfy Lalita's every need, but they are there for each other as well. And there are actual feelings and emotions involved in the mix not just sexual exploits. Even if I'm not a m/m virgin anymore, I'm quite inexperienced having only read about 2-3 such stories, and even when I've read ménages with two men, they are usually there to pleasure the female part of the trio, so I would have preferred seeing Lalita being the "main attraction".

The mystery plot at times was a bit forced and improbable, and I kept swaying between finding Lalita a spoiled brat:

Stiffening her shoulders, she yelled, "If you think I'm sleeping on the floor of this roach motel, you're high. Who knows what kind of fucked-up disease I'll get from the carpet."

Asher strode out of the bathroom and squatted in front of her, placing his hands on either side of her and said in a low voice, "I know you're scared and pissed, but if you could stop being a bitch at the top of your lungs for one minute, I would appreciate it."

or looking at her steel spine and independence with respect:

"You think I'm something to keep around to fuck and cuddle? A possession you can pass back and forth?"

Verdict: The Bodyguards' Princess didn't blow me away as The Breaker's Concubine did, but it certainly was a nice, entertaining, whirlwind action packed, burning hot read!

Plot: 6/10
Characters: 7/10
Writing: 7/10
Ending: 6/10
Cover: 7/10

Buy it:

Reading Challenge: NetGalley Reading Challenge 2012

I love NetGalley. I think it is one of the best things that helps blogging. I have always enjoyed participating in Emily's NetGalley Months, so when I saw she made this into a year-long reading challenge I knew I had to join :-)

The rules: read as many NetGalley books in 2012 as you can. 

The levels:

Blue Star - read 1-10 NetGalley Books in 2012

Green Star - read 11-20 NetGalley Books in 2012

Red Star - read 21-30 NetGalley Books in 2012

Gold Star - read 30+ NetGalley Books in 2012

I'm aiming for Gold Star!

You can sign up here.

It's Monday, What Are you Reading? (#64)

It's Monday, What are you reading? is a weekly event hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read and the books to be finished this week.

I'm back! After almost 2 weeks of blogging-isolation and reading-ban I was so starved to finally read something that as soon as my exam was over I devoured books I had on my most pressing TBR list. On Friday and Saturday I read 3 books (sure they weren't that long but still ;-) and I am so glad to be able to read once again without the guilt of knowing I should be studying instead. :-D

So here is what I read last weekend (and as I ahven't done an It's Monday! post for weeks I'll also mention the books I read 2 weeks ago):

Books I completed 

2 weeks ago:

Lord of the Vampires by Gena Showalter

I am a sucker for fairy tales so when I heard that this was Book #1 in a new paranormal fairy tale retelling series I was curious and picked it up. This is a paranormal retelling of Alice in Wonderland and it was quite interesting. 

Accused by Kate Kaynak

I was a bit disappointed by Legacy the 3rd book in the Ganzfield series. Kate Kaynak spoiled me with how amazing Minder and Adversary were, so after the thrilling, fast paced first 2 books I found Legacy lacking and quite slow. But with Accused, the 4th book in the seris Kate Kaynak is back, Accused was just as fantastic as Minder! My detailed review will be posted on Book Lovers Inc. soon.

and read last week after my exam on Thursday:

Banshee Charmer by Tiffany Allee

Wow, this was really great! I loved the rich and detailed world building and how Tiffany Allee blended fantasy and supernatural species into the real world of nowadays was smooth and read real. My detailed review will be posted on January 29th, when Tiffany will stop by to answer a few of my questions.

Impulse Control by Sara Brookes

(Book #1 in the Sypricon Masters series)

I have had this book on my to-read list for some time now and was quite curious to discover Sara Brookes' erotic sci-fi series. It was a very short read and it was more BDSM erotica than sci-fi really. My review will be posted on Book Lovers Inc. soon. 

Priestess of the Nile by Veronica Scott

I love anything to do with Ancient Egypt! I love the mythology, the architecture, the hyeroglyphs, so when I saw this new Carina Press title was set in Ancient Egypt I knew I had to raed it. My review will be posted on February 8th, you'll just have to wait until then.

Book I am currently reading

To Walk the Night by E.S. Moore

And once again I picked this one up to continue reading it. Despite the detailed storytelling (or maybe due to that) I find it stalling and the lack of fast paced action keeps me from getting involved in the story.

Books I can't wait to start

Ride With Me by Ruthie Knox

I had this yummy book staring at me from my Kindle for the past couple of weeks and now that my exam is over and that its release day is drawing near it's finally time for me to start reading it! I can't wait!! :-D

Slayer's Kiss by Cassi Carver

Another exciting-looking new release. I just love thrilling UF series with kickass heroines! :-D

And what are you reading this week?

Book Review: Quarter Square by David Bridger

Title: Quarter Square
Author: David Bridger
Release date: 27 June 2011
Number of pages: 142 pages
Series: Book #1 in the Wild Times series
Publisher: Carina Press
Source: review copy provided by publisher via NetGalley
Purchasing Info: Goodreads, Author's Website, Amazon, Carina Press

Grade: 4 stars

Novellus superbus!

Goodreads appetizer: English carpenter Joe Walker thinks his life is over when he discovers his wife and best friend having an affair. Restoring an abandoned theatre offers little hope for a fresh start...until he follows a group of strangers through a hidden door into a world he never could have imagined.

In the haven known as Quarter Square, Joe encounters a community of supernatural street performers who straddle the mortal world and the magic realm known as the Wild. Here, Joe finds a sense of belonging he's never known before—and a chance to uncover the truth behind the frightening visions that have haunted him since childhood. He also meets Min, an enchanting singer who quickly captures his heart.

But as Joe settles into Quarter Square, he learns their haven is under attack, while an ancient enemy threatens to tear him and Min apart. Now, Joe must learn to wield his own powers in order to save the life he's come to love...

Review originally posted at Book Lovers Inc.

My Thoughts: Among the novels I usually read male authors are a rarity. So the single fact that Quarter Square was written by a man was reason enough to pique my curiosity and make me want to read this novel.In the first part of the novel Joe (our protagonist) discovers a magic parallel universe which is accessible through the magic door in the century old theatre he’s renovating and sleeping in. Through that hole in the wall one enters a Renaissance-fair-like magic version of Plymouth where dwarves dance and juggle, people sit around a bonfire and tell tales, others are singing, dancing having fun. A very colourful and enchanted alternate universe.


However, this haven is threatened by an evil who is after Joe, and the second part of the novel tells the story of Joe and Min (the heroine) being on the run and hiding from the evil werewolf with a neolite tribe, who live in huts in the desert, walk around barechested and loin-clothed.

What is interesting with Quarter Square, is that with this novel I felt the different parts of the novel (plot, writing, etc.) slide apart: I found the writing of great quality, it was lyrical and exquisite.

“I rolled onto my back, gave my scalp and beard a good scratch and tried to concentrate on the noises and the smell of dry centuries. I preferred them to the sound of my thoughts and the stink of betrayal.”

It set the mood and described the scenes while entertaining all senses of the reader and definitely making use of the reader’s imagination:

“The air - heavy with summer smells of beer and cigarette smoke, diesel oil from the harbour, food from every direction and a hundred different perfumes and aftershaves - tasted like life and made me feel like even more of an outsider.”

What made me pick up Quarter Square - the fact that its author was a man - didn’t let me down. The difference in logic, perception and handling of events was refreshing and authentic. It was wonderful climbing inside the mind of a man and seeing and understanding why he does what he does. It was interesting to see Joe’s reasoning behind his hurt of discovering his wife having an affair with his best friend and that it was mostly the sense of betrayal which infuriated him: that he doesn’t begrudge his best friend for falling in love with his wife but for lying to him and making him lose his best friend. Reading a story through a man’s perspective is fun and liberating: a man narrator is blunter, doesn’t overanalyze things (even though he spends a fair time on exploring his emotions it definitely does not come off as mushy), and remains more realistic.

Though I was constantly enchanted by David Bridger’s writing style, I didn’t connect that well with the plot. I enjoyed the first part of the novel and reading about the “gipsy” circus of the insiders, but from the moment Joe and Min got on the run I felt the story lost most of its colours. (Though I still remember with amazement the description of Joe blending in a tree and David Bridger’s description of what it feels like to live and breathe as a tree does.)

Joe is a great character, an ordinary guy next door, and his story is fantastic exactly because of him being so normal. Unfortunately I remained lukewarm and at times even antagonistic towards the heroine, Min. I didn’t find her fleshed out enough, and then when she got together with Joe - though I can understand with their background why - it still irritated me that she didn’t consider Joe her equal but treated her most of the time almost as a child. When finally Joe couldn’t take that anymore and erupted in quite a monologue I read it with great satisfaction. It was good to see him finally step up and assume the role of the responsible man in charge of his own destiny.

Verdict: Quarter Square is very different from the usual urban fantasy novels. I would say it is more on the fantasy side than urban. David Bridger is a very talented and promising new author whose next works I will definitely check out!

ps. I have to spend at least one sentence on the amazing cover. Not only does it look beautiful, it is very atmospheric and portrays the novel and characters wonderfully. A fantastic job, bravo!

And a short quote which gives you a taste of the book:

"Here's the thing. There's magic everywhere in the world. Always has been. But in most of the world it's unknown. People stopped using it, believing in it. (...) It seems that each culture and each generation rejects magic a bit more than the one before. Some cultures more than others, but the general trend is to ignore magic and eventually to forget it."

Well Quarter Square is a magic-preserving community then!

Plot: 8/10
Characters: 7/10
Writing: 9/10
Ending: 7/10
Cover: 10/10 - cover perfection! Looks stunning and suits the story wonderfully.

Buy it:

Hello World!

Hey Everyone, I am back!

Sorry for the lack of exciting, original content on the blog in the last couple of weeks but I was studying for my second bar exam which not only kept me busy but guilted me into forsaking the blogosphere and pleasure-reading. Yes, for the last week I was on a full reading ban! Can you believe it? I know, shocking and I was doubting whether I would manage to resist the temptation but I did and now with a successfully passed exam I can relax and enjoy reading books once again :-D

So sorry if you have been waiting for a reply to your e-mail (I was on inbox duty ban as well), I'm trying to get through the piles of emails accrued in my virtual absence and will try to get back to you all as soon as I can.

And I also want to share some great and very exciting news with you: Ex Libris will be celebrating its 2nd blogoversary in February!! I have some grandiose plans for the joyous occasion, and let me tell you, it will be even bigger and better than last year! :-D 

So now that I'm back there will be once again reviews, author interviews and giveaways and in just a bit more than 1 week the blogoversary celebrations will also begin! So stay tuned and glad to be back! :-D