The Love Scam, by MaryJanice Davidson

Format: eARC, 320 pages

Publisher: St Martin’s Press

Published: 4 August 2020

ISBN: 9781250053169

Genre: Romance

Back cover blurb: Rake Tarbell is in trouble. When the fabulously wealthy and carefree bachelor wakes up horribly hungover in Venice, it’s not something that would normally be a problem…except he has no idea how he got there from California. Or who stole his wallet. Or who emptied his bank account of millions. Or who in the world is Lillith, the charming little girl claiming to be his long lost daughter. For the first time in his life, Rake is on his own and throwing Benjamins around aren’t going to solve his problem. Now if only the gorgeous, fun, and free-spirited woman who brought Lillith into his life was willing to help the situation…

Claire Delaney finds Rake’s problems hilarious and is not in the least bit sorry of adding to them by bringing Lillith into the mix. A pretty Midwestern girl with a streak for mischief, Claire isn’t the type to hang around with a guy like Rake. Even if he is drop-dead handsome and charming as all get-out. Even if he needs help and she has all the answers. But if this helps Lillith, she will go out of her way. And with a guy like Rake, she’s willing to bend her rules a bit for some fun.

But when adventure-filled days turn to romantic nights as they search for answers, and someone starts following them through the streets of Venice, Claire realizes she’s playing more than just a game. And maybe, just maybe, she isn’t willing to let go of Rake or Lillith just yet.

My review: I didn’t realise this was the second book in the series until after I had downloaded it from Netgalley. Although I haven’t read the first book about brother Blake, I don’t think it made much difference to my enjoyment of this book – which, sadly, was limited. It was merely okay. I enjoyed Davidson’s early Undead series books, but after a while they became a bit silly. That’s what I felt about this book. The author was trying hard to make it funny by including a whole lot of tropes, all of which are listed at the end, but I think she tried too hard and it all fell flat. I didn’t care enough about the characters, and the scenario was just too far-fetched for me to be interested.

***Disclaimer: This e-ARC was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to them. ***

My rating: 2/5

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The Last Donut Shop of the Apocalypse, by Nina Post

Format: e-ARC, 216 pages

Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press

Published: 23 February 2017

ISBN: 9781620070963

Genre: Humor, Sci Fi & Fantasy

Back cover blurb: After narrowly preventing the last apocalypse, Kelly Driscoll finds herself with an unlikely day job. She’s the interim manager of Amenity Tower, one of the few buildings still left standing in the rubble of Pothole City. But after answering a mysterious phone call, she signs up for a new mission that’s a perfect match for her skills: locating the missing president of the famed Cluck Snack brand.

As Kelly quickly learns, the missing executive is only the beginning of Pothole City’s problems. The city’s leading donut shops — run by two very different Gorgon monster siblings — are engaged in a bitter territorial dispute. Plus, the residents of Kelly’s building have hatched a new plot to kill the beloved single-purpose angels and set the stage for another apocalypse.

Teaming up again with her allies from the first book — including Af the Angel of Destruction, Stringfellow the ferret, and Tubiel and the other single-purpose angels — Kelly is up for the challenge. But can she rescue the missing president and restore peace between the donut shops before Pothole City is destroyed yet again?

My review: Netgalley recommended this to me, and since the title mentioned donuts, I was in. However, I had a problem right from the outset since I hadn’t read the first in the series and had no idea what was going on. This is a very weird story, and clearly all the world-building took place in the first book because no time is spent here explaining what has already occurred. I no doubt would have liked it more if I’d been reading the series in order, but I’m not intrigued enough to want to go back and find book 1. Not for me.

***Disclaimer: This e-ARC was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to them. ***

My rating: 1/5

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Inherit the Stars, by Tessa Elwood

Format: e-ARC, 304 pages

Publisher: Running Press

Published: December 8, 2015

ISBN: 9780762458400

Genre: Teens & YA

Back cover blurb: Three royal houses ruling three interplanetary systems are on the brink of collapse, and they must either ally together or tear each other apart in order for their people to survive.

Asa is the youngest daughter of the house of Fane, which has been fighting a devastating food and energy crisis for far too long. She thinks she can save her family’s livelihood by posing as her oldest sister in an arranged marriage with Eagle, the heir to the throne of the house of Westlet. The appearance of her mother, a traitor who defected to the house of Galton, adds fuel to the fire, while Asa also tries to save her sister Wren’s life . . . possibly from the hands of their own father.

But as Asa and Eagle forge a genuine bond, will secrets from the past and the urgent needs of their people in the present keep them divided?

Author Tessa Elwood’s debut series is an epic romance at heart, set against a mine field of political machinations, space adventure, and deep-seeded family loyalties.

My review: The premise was good but there just wasn’t enough world-building or characterization to flesh everything out enough. Because I didn’t feel invested in the setting, I found I didn’t really care about the characters. Asa’s dialogue was hard to read because she was always being interrupted, and I didn’t really get a sense of the depth of feeling she and Eagle professed to each other at the end. Also, may I say that cover makes me think of a school trip to a planetarium. She looks like she has a backpack on, but I think it’s just a stripe on her dress. Anyway, this was just okay. I don’t feel a great need to read the sequel.

***Disclaimer: This e-ARC was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to them. ***

My rating: 3/5

 

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Candy Is Magic: Real Ingredients, Modern Recipes, by Jami Curl

Format: e-ARC, 288 pages

Publisher: Ten Speed Press

Published: 14 March, 2017

ISBN: 9780399578397

Genre: Cooking, Food & Wine

Back cover blurb: This game-changing candy cookbook from the owner of Quin, a popular Portland-based candy company, offers more than 200 achievable recipes using real, natural ingredients for everything from flavor-packed fruit lollipops to light-as-air marshmallows.

Jami Curl, candy-maker extraordinaire and owner of the candy company Quin has been called the “new Willy Wonka” by Bon Appetit. Her debut book, This is Candy, includes the recipes that have made Quin a favorite with local and national media, foodies, chefs, and bloggers. But This is Candy is not just a candy book. Instead, Jami’s approach to candy forms the foundation for a world of other confections–from bacon glazed with maple and black pepper caramel to a clever Chocolate Magic Dust that can be turned into chocolate pudding, chocolate sauce, and even a chocolate lollipop. Packed with more than 200 recipes for totally original confections like Whole Roasted Strawberry Lollipops, Bergamot Caramels, Fig & Coffee Gumdrops, and Pinot Noir cotton candy, as well as serious tips and advice for making amazing candy at home.

My review: I never thought I would be bored by a book about sweets but, sadly, I was. This wasn’t the cookbook I was expecting. Instead, the first quarter is a comprehensive technical explanation of the methodology and equipment needed for candy making, and then there are a series of recipes for infusions and flavoured sugars before we get to any real recipes. Even then, these all seem to be very similar variations on a theme, covering lollipops, marshmallow, gum drops and caramels. The same flavours are repeated for each type of sweet. I really would have liked a bit more variation and something a bit more “out there.”

Maybe there weren’t enough photos. I found the hand drawings a bit amateurish. The rabbit cake was certainly underwhelming. I know I didn’t need several pages devoted to making cinnamon sugar or how to put together cocoa powder and sugar to make a hot chocolate mix.

***Disclaimer: This e-ARC was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to them. ***

My rating: 3/5

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Magic Bites, by Ilona Andrews

Format: Audiobook

Published: March 27, 2007

Publisher: Audible

Back cover blurb:

Atlanta would be a nice place to live, if it weren’t for magic…

One moment magic dominates, and cars stall and guns fail. The next, technology takes over and the defensive spells no longer protect your house from monsters. Here skyscrapers topple under onslaught of magic; werebears and werehyenas prowl through the ruined streets; and the Masters of the Dead, necromancers driven by their thirst of knowledge and wealth, pilot blood-crazed vampires with their minds.

In this world lives Kate Daniels. Kate likes her sword a little too much and has a hard time controlling her mouth. The magic in her blood makes her a target, and she spent most of her life hiding in plain sight. But when Kate’s guardian is murdered, she must choose to do nothing and remain safe or to pursue his preternatural killer. Hiding is easy, but the right choice is rarely easy…

My review:

Meh. Another first book where I lost interest because of too much world-building. I’m told the series improves – and Curran becomes hotter – as it goes on, but at the moment I’m in no hurry to read the rest. Also, the audiobook was OK, but it annoyed me greatly that the narrator pronounced “plait” as “plate”. Grr!

My rating: 3/5

Necrophenia, by Robert Rankin

Format: Paperback, 416 pages

Published:  July 17, 2008

Publisher: Gollancz

Back cover blurb:

ONE IN EVERY THREE PEOPLE LIVING IS ACTUALLY DEAD!

It is a matter of historical record that during the latter part of World War II, England’s top-secret Ministry of Serendipity enlisted the services of arch-magician Aleister Crowley to create a Homunculus. Why? Well that’s a long story, spanning almost seven decades as it follows the life and career of Tyler, rock star, private eye – and notable for the fact that he almost saved Mankind. The cast of millions also includes ukulele maestro George Formby, Mick Jagger, Mama Cass, Elvis Presley and Lazlo Woodbine. And Tyler’s brother, Andy, who impersonates animals (and who single-handedly brought about the Swinging Sixties). And a lady named Clara from Croydon, who unlocked the meta-phenomena of the Multiverse. And a corner shopkeeper from Brentford, who created a sitting room for God. And a great many living dead. Oh yes, and it also involves a monster in human form whose intention it is to turn the Earth into a Necrosphere, a planet totally devoid of life…

My review:

Sorry, Mr Rankin, but I really struggled to finish this one. I’ve been reading Rankin for 20 years, but this… I dunno. I loved his early stuff so much and am saddened when a mojo is lost.

Maybe there was too much self-reference. They were all there, Rankin’s usual suspects – hard-boiled private eye Lazlo Woodbine and Fangio the barman, Elvis, Dimac, the Ministry of Serendipity, unpopular vegetables, the woman in the straw hat – because it’s a tradition, or an old charter, or something, but still I wasn’t gripped. Tyler only became interesting to me about 200 pages in when he encountered Laz, but if it wasn’t for the fact I’m not a quitter I wouldn’t have read that far.

The next Rankin is sitting by my bedside but I think I’ll wait a while before tackling it.

My rating: 2/5