August's Book Reviews

The Pas de Deux: A Classical Ballet Romance by Erin Bomboy - 4 stars

Recap: Peri, a fading prima ballerina, meets Mark, up and coming talent. They fall in love but their road to happiness is far from smooth.

Review: clearly written by someone with a good grasp of classical ballet. Mr D is horrifying and even with his holocaust backgroun,d I couldn't feel any pity for him. The love story is moving, the constant inner monologue doubt grates from time to time but all the dialogue feels very natural and realistic. There are several gasp out loud moments and an ending that makes you feel happy. A commentary on the AIDS endemic in the US at the time jars somewhat with the story but is a true fact of the time period and setting, adding to the realism. Very sad in places.

Ash and Quill by Rachel Caine - 5 stars

Recap: Jess and his friends escaped London only to end up prisoners of the Burners. They need to escape and find a way to undermine the corrupt press of the Library, but who can they really trust?

Review: Can I read the next one now, please? I simultaneously hate it and love it when I get to the end of a book and I just have to know what happens next. The series has certainly picked up in intensity in book 3 as the characters continue to develop and the plot thickens, so to speak. I always think if you can feel real sympathy for a character then the writer has their hooks in you and there's nothing you can do but read the next book. Did I mention I want to know what happens next?

Seasons Within by Lele Iturrioz - 4 stars

Recap: G is an orphan, she doesn't know who her parents were, when her birthday is or what her real name is. Until she meets Mr Blau and her entire life changes. 

Review: A stiff beginning almost put me off but once we got into the story momentum it picked up the pace. The characters are really well defined with great personalities. I have too many favourites to choose just one! There are four seasons and four elements so we know what's to come but I like the fact it wasn't all squashed into one book, instead, we had good pace, a gentle revelation of plot and some gasp out loud moments. I can't wait to find out what will happen next.

The Bookminder by M.K. Wiseman - 4 stars

Recap: Liara, a fey-child is a ward of the church until she is banished from the village for suspected witchcraft. Nagarath, the mysterious wizard, takes her in yet vows not to teach her any magic. 

Review: I was gripped. Tension builds really well until you're just itching for something awful to happen. I thought Liara's time with the second Mage could've spanned longer but her fight was excellent and we all knew what her light fingeredness would result in. I'm intrigued to see where book two goes. 

The Elixir War by Margena Adams Holmes

Recap: Prince Jory must defend the Elixir facility from Kiral Radern, alienating his love, his family and his men in the process.

Review: An interesting premise, an elixir that enhances latent abilities such as mind-reading and telekinesis is freely available yet the production jealously guarded. We have a double love interest, a maniacal father bent on revenge, dogfights in space and a sword duel finale! For me, it lacked a little depth in the character relationships and at times leant more towards tell than show. A space opera with a dash of romance. I did feel sorry for Deyka, bless her.

My Dream Woman: Book One in the Guild of Dream Warriors Series - 5 stars

Recap: Andi has always had powerful dreams where she kicked ass and saved the day but she had no idea she was protecting people in real life until she met Dionne, a Dream Warrior.

Review: I was privileged to be a beta reader for this book and I really enjoyed reading the book as the story unfolded. Dialogue and character interplay feel very natural and I love the idea of Dream Warriors protecting us in our sleep. A very entertaining novella.

The Night Knight: The Guild of Dream Warriors Book Two

Recap: Bella has woken up but is missing years thanks to her coma and is just trying to find her feet in an unfamiliar world when she comes under attack, again.

Review: A great continuation of the series, this time from a completely different character point of view which makes the whole setting feel fresh again. Bella's emotions are captured brilliantly, there's intrigue and double-crossing, a winged horse and doomed love. It will make you cry but is so worth it.

Claire Buss is a multi-genre writer and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find all her books on Amazon. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop.