BOOK REVIEW - CLAIMED BY SHADOW by KAREN CHANCE - CASSANDRA PALMER # 2 - ADULT URBAN FANTASY - ROC

By: Karen Chance

Published By: ROC 

Released : Available Now

Details: Paperback from library, 374 Pages

RATING: 4.25 UNPREDICTABLE STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

Clairvoyant Cassie Palmer has inherited new magical powers-including the ability to travel through time. But it's a whole lot of responsibility she'd rather not have. Now she's the most popular girl in town, as an assortment of vamps, fey, and mages try to convince, force, or seduce her—and her magic—over to their side. But one particular master vampire didn't ask what Cassie wanted before putting a claim on her. He had a spell cast that binds her to him, and now she doesn't know if what she feels for him is real—or imagined…

BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

In my review of Touch The Dark, the first book in the Cassandra Palmer series I did want more doing and less info dumping.

Karen delivered that in this installment.

With a nod to The Wizard of Oz, three old women, throw in some going back in time, some handy dandy tattoo wards, a total character 180 degree makeover in Pritkin, a pile of shenanigans and you have yourself a fast paced and entertaining read.

I say fast paced, but at the same time I found myself rereading parts, quite often, I think my mind was wandering a little again. I'm not sure why I do that with this particular series.

I love Urban Fantasy and the worlds that get built for me, but I did catch myself doing it again in this installment. I'm aiming for book # 3 to fix that.

I liked Mircea’s character much better in this installment, even though Pritkin was in it more.

Between Mircea, Pritkin and Tomas, I have three male characters who interest me in winding up with Cassie.

They all got a character makeover and raised the bar from book # 1.

The Graeae were the entertaining sidekicks in this installment.

Tony was eluding everyone, Myra was trying hard to do away with Mircea and Cassandra was under a geis that had powerful and painful results.

I was rather surprised at who got to claim Cassandra’s ‘V-card’ , considering book # 1, but unpredictable this installment was.

I liked what Karen did with Billy Joe’s character and Mac was a character I really wish stuck around a lot longer. I like him.

There once was a ghost name of Billy,

Who got in a jam rather silly,

He found a beautiful lass

And quick made a pass

Forgetting he only had mist for a willy.

HA!

With nods to Bram Stoker, Dracula and good ol’Jack is back, getting a bit of his own medicine.

For all the build up of getting into Faerie it was rather a short stay and I was kind of confused by the quick departure considering what they came for.

I had some questions about the whole going back in time and how that impacted the ‘now’ of the story. But, hey, let’s not think too hard about all that. I think it was explained to me, but then...

Anyhoo, moving on.

A lot is thrown at Cassandra, she has no time to even pee. It is all go, go, go.

It may be me, but some things I got a bit lost in with the geis, and the other geis and Mircea and Tomas.

Pritkin was my biggest surprise. He really was an ass in Touch The Dark but he is extremely likable and sexy in this installment. I was yo-yoing whether I could trust him.

Cassandra really grew on me in this book. She is kickass, doesn’t complain and is forever out to save somebody, even a clay man. She is learning how to use what she has and has to make a lot of quick thinking decisions.

I am enjoying her getting better kickass chick lines too.

“Girlfriend,” I told her, blinking to clear the blood out of my vision, “you so do not want to fuck with me today.”


Up next is, Embrace The Night.

Michelle

Recently named the world’s chief clairvoyant, Cassandra Palmer still has a thorn in her side. As long as Cassie and a certain master vampire—the sizzling-hot Mircea—are magically bound to each other, her life will never be her own…

The spell that binds them can only be broken with an incantation found in the Codex Merlini, an ancient grimoire. The Codex’s location has been lost in the present day, so Cassie will have to seek it out in the only place it can still be found—the past.

But Cassie soon realizes the Codex has been lost for a reason. The book is rumored to contain some seriously dangerous spells, and retrieving it may help Cassie to deal with Mircea, but it could also endanger the world…

BOOK REVIEW - TOUCH THE DARK by KAREN CHANCE - CASSANDRA PALMER # 1 - ROC - URBAN FANTASY

By: Karen Chance
Published By: ROC
Released: Available Now
Details: Paperback from library, 307 Pages

RATING: 4 STARS MOSTLY

Blurb: Goodreads

Cassandra Palmer can see the future and communicate with spirits—talents that make her attractive to the dead and the undead. The ghosts of the dead aren’t usually dangerous; they just like to talk…a lot.

The undead are another matter.

Like any sensible girl, Cassie tries to avoid vampires. But when the bloodsucking mafioso she escaped three years ago finds Cassie again with vengeance on his mind, she’s forced to turn to the vampire Senate for protection.

The undead senators won’t help her for nothing, and Cassie finds herself working with one of their most powerful members, a dangerously seductive master vampire—and the price he demands may be more than Cassie is willing to pay....



BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

I’m going to be honest and say I was hovering between 3.75 stars and 4 stars for Touch The Dark. My reasons being that I was in a love VS wandering mind relationship with Cassandra Palmer # 1.

I loved all the delicious male characters, Louis Cesar , Mircea, Tomas...yes he was delicious, but...and even Billy Joe has his moments. Pritkin is a judgemental ass.

I loved all the paranormal characters, mages, pixie, witches, vampires, ghosts, weres...even the shrunken’ head.

I think Cassandra is a very likable character. She was raised by a mobster vampire who used her clairvoyance for his own nefarious dealings. She escaped the lair at fourteen to go it alone after finding out some news, assisted by the ghost of a girl killed by Tony the mobster vampire.  Cassie was able to survive on the dead girls families hidden cash. I do have some questions there, but ehhh, I will let that be.

I thought this book got off to a great strong start. I was intrigued. 

An obituary left on her computer announcing her own death, time and cause. 

Great start, makes me want to read more. 

Next it is time to find Tomas, the smexi, silky long haired hunk who happens to be her roommate. 

Cassie is more or less on the run from Tony the mobster. She helped cripple the biggest crime family in Philly.

Then shiz goes down and vampires are attacking Cassandra and Tomas with surprising results.

Enter all the other lads that are going to become a constant fixture in Cassies time in this book.

I kind of found myself from then on with my mind wandering off in its own little world of Christmas shopping etc. I had to keep shaking my head and rereading to get myself back on track.

There is a lot, lot, lot... of info dumping. I know it is world building but I found the pages that consumed the rest of the book really consisted of long paragraphs and lots of explaining of stuff that probably needed less explaining and more doing.

I needed DOING, people!

There were a couple characters trying to do the horizontal tango...and ... lets throw in a pile of info dumping.

WT!

Not now, they are trying to stamp the V card, null and void.

Now I know I am coming late to starting this series and I did check on Goodreads to see if others felt like me. I was just wondering if maybe I was reading at a busy time of the year and my mind wasn’t in the game.

But no, others were having the same problem as me.

I really am dedicated to reading this series as I feel that it was just Karen needing to tell us a lot about...well a lot. And that is ok.

I am all for world building. I understand that a first book in a series can be subject to this criticism if over done. 

I felt I understood the world, but I got info overload on other stuff that may not have been that prudent.

But hey, one mans overload on info is another mans interest.

I found that the group of characters would move to another spot in the story and then do all this info dumping again.

Ha!

It is a very colorful and descriptive world that Karen has given me. 

I would have liked more movement forward...for me anyway. 

There are a couple nice twists which I really enjoyed.

Yes! Love twists. Throw them at me it keeps me very entertained.

I did like Karen’s little quirk she did with bringing in a character that was possibly Cleopatra but not quite called Cleopatra, Rasputin, The Man In The Iron Mask... Jack The Ripper...

This was great and entertaining and clever weaving these characters into Cassandra's world. 

Jack lived up to his name. History got a little twist to it with him becoming a vampire. You can take the human out of Jack but you can't take the delight he gets from ...well...doing what he was famous for.

Gah!!

Then there was the scene where I felt more ewwww than possibly what it was supposed to be doing for me. Let's just say it was a rather sticky situation when three of our lads decide humiliation is an excellent punishment whilst dining out on takeaway.

Pass the flannel.

Mop up on aisle 5!!

I really just had to lower my rating for review because of sooooo much information that I was lost in my own mind and I had to get back on track.

I seriously was battling my brain to stop wandering about . When Karen had me switched on, I was switched on. But then...have I got the kids all their Christmas gifts sorted...have I got the turkey...do I need to pick anybody up from their mates house...

I’m definitely in for the long haul and will be reserving more of these from the library because I am intrigued to see where it is all going with Cassandra and the lads.

Looks like Cassandra Palmer is going to have her hands full with a certain smexi lad who I have mixed feelings about at this stage and a new job description.

Looking forward to Claimed By Shadow.

Michelle

Clairvoyant Cassie Palmer has inherited new magical powers-including the ability to travel through time. But it's a whole lot of responsibility she'd rather not have. Now she's the most popular girl in town, as an assortment of vamps, fey, and mages try to convince, force, or seduce her—and her magic—over to their side. But one particular master vampire didn't ask what Cassie wanted before putting a claim on her. He had a spell cast that binds her to him, and now she doesn't know if what she feels for him is real—or imagined…