Tag: Laura Anne Gilman

ARC Review: Soul of Fire by Laura Anne Gilman

On By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations

    

Save the world-early and often 

Three months ago Jan learned that elves were real, our world wasn’t safe and it was up to her to save her boyfriend-and the world-from being englamoured into slavery. Now Jan has a new deadline-ten weeks, ten days and ten hours. That’s when the truce she arranged between our world and the elves’ realm ends, and the invasion starts.

While supernatural creatures work to defend humanity, Jan and the kelpie Martin have to find the preter queen, and use her to force the portals closed. But when magic mixes with technology, shutting it down isn’t as simple as closing a door or pulling a plug….

Jan’s geek-girl know-how might have gotten her this far, but they’re going to need technical skills and magic to shut the portals for good….

And their time’s nearly up

 

The Review:

Heart of Briar wasn’t my favorite Laura Anne Gilman novel, but despite that I squeed and requested Soul of Fire when it appeared on NetGalley. And after reading it I am glad I requested it.

  Continue reading “ARC Review: Soul of Fire by Laura Anne Gilman” →

ARC Review: Heart of Briar by Laura Anne Gilman

On By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations
The Particulars: Urban Fantasy, Harlequin Luna, available as e-book and in print
The Source: e-ARC from Netgalley
The Grade: C+
The Blurb:
“He has been taken. And you are his only chance.” 

That wasn’t something Jan expected to hear-especially from strangers who’d just rescued her from some mysterious and ferocious creatures. And she really hadn’t expected her rescuers to be shape-shifters….
Now it turns out her boyfriend, Tyler, hasn’t gone missing, he’s been stolen-and Jan’s the only one who might be able to get him back.
From Elfland.
Yeah, Jan’s pretty sure the entire world’s gone crazy. Even if the shifters claim that the naturals (like her) and the supernaturals (like them) belong in this world…but the preternaturals, what humans call elves, don’t.  And the preters have found a portal into our world. A doorway they can use to infiltrate, to take, to conquer.
Jan’s not just Ty’s only hope – she’s got to rescue humanity, as well….

The Review:
I love Laura Anne Gilman‘s novels, so when I saw this one at Netgalley, I requested it on the spot. After reading it, I am glad I did. Mostly. I had one big issue with it.
This is the first book in the Portals duology, which isn’t set in the Cosa Nostradamus world. No, this is a world filled with tension between the non-native Preternaturals and the native Supernaturals. I really liked that the Preters and the Supers behaved very differently. The Preters were cold, and only acted for the benefit of Preters. The Supernaturals on the other hand, were motivated with a drive to save the world.
The characters were intresting. I liked how Jan struggled with the fact that Supers and Preters existed. I also liked the fact the Supers didn’t try to hide that the situation was dangerous, and that she shouldn’t really trust them.
Jan’s, Martin’s and to some degree AJ’s, search for Tyler was well plotted. I liked how it took Jan from an ordinary life, to a life filled with danger. What I especially liked was Jan’s stubbornness. She was scared, but she searched for Tyler anyway. And I really admired her when she faced the Preters.
Despite all the things I liked with this book, I didn’t feel the urge to pick it up to continue reading when I put it down. But I still plan to get the second book.

Cover reveal: The Portals duology by Laura Anne Gilman

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Look what Laura Anne Gilman just posted at her blog. Aren’t they GORGEOUS? I am itching to request them at Netgalley ( and host a giveaway in October.)  Heart of Briar is available for pre-order at Book Depository.

The blurb for Heart of Briar: “He has been taken. And you are his only chance.” That wasn’t something Jan expected to hear-especially from strangers who’d just rescued her from some mysterious and ferocious creatures. And she really hadn’t expected her rescuers to be shape-shifters…. Now it turns out her boyfriend, Tyler, hasn’t gone missing, he’s been stolen-and Jan’s the only one who might be able to get him back. From Elfland. Yeah, Jan’s pretty sure the entire world’s gone crazy. Even if the shifters claim that the naturals (like her) and the supernaturals (like them) belong in this world…but the preternaturals, what humans call elves, don’t. And they’ve found a portal into our world. A doorway they can use to infiltrate, to take, to conquer. And now Jan’s not just Ty’s only hope-she’s got to rescue humanity, as well….

Book recommendation: Dragon Justice by Laura Anne Gilman

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In my time with PUPI, formally known as Private, Unaffiliated Paranormal Investigations, I’ve seen a lot. Learned a lot. And not all of it’s been good. But what we do-make people accountable for crimes committed with magic-is important work. Still. Even I need to take a break every now and again. Or so I’ve just been told (ordered). So hey, vacation. Maybe I’ll finally figure out what’s going on with the “special bond” between me and the bossman, Benjamin Venec. Venec seems to like that idea-he’s invited me down to join him on a jaunt to Philly. But no sooner do I arrive in the City of Brotherly Love than we’re called in to look at a dead body. And that’s when life gets really complicated….

*sob* The last Cosa novel. And I am sure  it is as awesome as the rest of the books.  You have read them, right? If not, you can start with Curse the Dark.

Pre-order it from : Amazon, BN, Book Depository

Kickstarter: Miles to go/ Promises to Keep by Laura Anne Gilman

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I have made no secret about the fact that I love Laura Anne Gilman’s books.   So, I when I found out that she planned to Kickstart  Cosa Nostradamus stories, I was very happy.  Still, despite this, the launch took me by surprise. ( Primarily since I was offline for a couple of days.)   I pledged as soon I found out.  If you haven’t read  Laura Anne Gilman, this is a great place to start.

From the Kickstarter page: 

The stories, Miles to Go and Promises to Keep, introduce Danny Hendrickson.  He’s a half-breed, very very rare in the Cosa Nostradamus.  Human mother, faun father, 100% Attitude.  For the most part, he’s made his own way, first as a member of the NYPD and then – when they started looking too closely at non-humans in the force – as a private investigator, straddling the line between human and fatae in his job the way he does in his life
He has a good life, he has good friends, he makes a difference…  But he also has a dangerous life.  And sometimes – when you’re in the middle of magic –  good friends aren’t enough.
Miles to Go: It’s an ordinary day, another ordinary – for Danny –  job, when he’s approached by a young woman who has information he needs to solve a case.  All she wants to do is help.  When a life – or more – are on the line, it’s hard to turn that down.  But the cost of that information will change Danny’s life…forever.
Promises to Keep: Following up on the events of MtG, Danny has a boring snoop-and-scoop infidelity case, the kind of thing that pays the bills and keeps everyone fed.  But his new – and magical – partner sees something more in the scenario…and what she sees is deadly. To the client – and to them.

 You can read more, and pledge here. ( You are going to pledge. Right?)

Giveaway: Pack of Lies by Laura Anne Gilman

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THE GIVEAWAY IS OVER! Winners will be announced later today.

This giveaway is a part of the Follow Love Blog-hop.  The giveaway runs from February 8th to February 13th. The winners will be announced on Valentines Day.
The rules:
Mandatory: To enter leave a comment to THIS POST with a way to contact you . If  you decide to make use of the extra entries, please tell me which one, and which name!
Optional Extra Entries: + 1 Follow on Google Friend Connect, + 1 Friend me on Goodreads,

 Edit: Only comments to this post are entered to the giveaway. If you have commented on the wrong post, please re-enter.  (I should have made that clear before I posted.)

The Give away:

I have some authors that are on my Auto buy list.  Laura Anne Gilman is one of them.  And it happens that her latest book were released a couple of weeks ago. So, I am giving away two copies of Pack of Lies by Laura Anne Gilman.   The books will be shipped through Bookdepository.com   ( I love e-books, but this one is paper only. Sorry!)

FUNNY HOW LIFE CAN TURN YOU UPSIDE DOWN…

My name is Bonita Torres, and eight months ago I was an unemployed college graduate without a plan. Now I’m an investigator with the Private Unaffiliated Paranormal Investigations team of New York. Pretty awesome, right?

The Cosa Nostradamus, the magical community, isn’t quick to give up its secrets, though. Not even to fellow members. Not even when it’s in their best interests. So we’ve been busting our tails, perfecting our forensic skills, working to gain acceptance. The team’s tight… but we have our quirks, too. And our Big Dog, Benjamin Venec…well, he’s a special case, all right.

But we can’t give up. We’re needed, especially when a case comes along that threatens to pit human against fatae. But one wrong move could cost us everything we’ve worked for…

Hard Magic by Laura Anne Gilman

On By MikaelaIn Book Recommendations

Hard Magic (Paranormal Scene Investigations, #1)Hard Magic by Laura Anne Gilman

The Particulars: Urban Fantasy, Luna, available both in print and e-book

Why was it in my TBR? I know Laura Anne Gilman writes books I love.

The Review:

The Blurb:
Welcome to P.U.P.I.—Private, Unaffiliated, Paranormal Investigations
A handpicked team trained to solve crimes the regular police can’t touch—crimes of magic.
My name’s Bonnie Torres. Recent college grad, magic user and severely unemployed. Until I got a call out of nowhere to interview for a job I hadn’t applied for. It smelled fishy, but the brutal truth was I needed the work—so off I went.
Two days later I’m a PUPI—me and Nick, Sharon, Nifty and Pietr. Five twentysomethings, thrown into an entirely new career in forensic magic.
The first job we get is a doozy: proving that the deaths of two Talents were murder, not suicide. Worse, there are high-profile people who want us to close up shop and go away. We’re sniffing out things they’d rather keep buried.
Looks as if this job is gonna get interesting. The only problem is, we’re making it up as we go along…

My impressions:

For me, Laura Anne Gilman are one of those authors that you gradually get hooked on. And this is Gilman at her best.
This novel is set in the Cosa Nostradamus universe, just like her Retrivers novels. But while the Retrievers mainly are focused on Lonejacks, this one gives a glimpse into how someone raised by a Council mentor thinks. The Cosa is in upheaval, the tension between Lonejacks, Council and Fatae ( non-humans) are increasing. The founding of P.U.P.I create strong feelings in the Council.
It was fascinating to read about what happens when something new is formed. The training required, how others reacts. The plot were well written, and filled with unexpected twists.
What made this stand out were the characters. I loved how she displayed the headbutting that always occur on a workplace. Also, I liked how she deftly wove the uncertainty of the sitaution into the plot. First, Bonnie’s nagging doubt if she would get a job at all. Then, the worry if they would get to keep the job.

The thing that keeps this from becoming 5 stars is the ending. It felt cut short, on the other hand they are investigators, not cops.

View all my reviews