Book Review: Dream Crusher by Natacha Guyot

I volunteered to read and review this book.

Amazon buy link

I love science fiction, but this book turned out to be a fantasy story rather than science fiction. Mentioning space travel does not science fiction make. There are no other science based elements, soft or hard core, in the story.
Crystals and mystics and alien races with supernatural powers are the realm of fantasy and I would rather classify it as such.
The story is rather thin on the ground in the action scenes. Very little details on what happens and the reader is left with a feeling of dissatisfaction. Whether the battles are won or lost, it wasn't possible to get into the action when it was underway. Only the mystics' reactions to the crystals were explored.
I liked Vahika. The priestess was no pushover, and the subtle undercurrent of attraction between her and Morden felt realistic in the scenes where they interacted with each other.
I also liked the way Sorred, one of Morden's team members, was portrayed. He had a temper. It made him real.
The character that impressed me the least was Morden himself. It was a surprise that his characterisation as the main character was not as one would expect of the leader of a group of soldiers. It took a few chapters to realise that Morden had no flaws. He had issues, but he was portrayed as a perfect character.
He was the hero. He liked children; they liked him. He was considerate towards his team members - rather foregoing sleep than bother theirs by snoring. He didn't even swear or get angry. Explicit text is not required to understand a character's internal dialogue.
It was difficult to relate to him. He was just too likable, too nice, and nothing made me root for him. He had no inner conflicts to resolve, and the battles themselves were too vague to really grip my attention.
When one of the group was killed during a battle, there were no emotional reactions from any of the main characters. Even experienced soldiers would have had some reaction to the event, whether they liked the victim or not.
Internal and external tension was lacking throughout the entire book.
Their so-called rogue mission didn't create too many sparks either. It was listed as the primary conflict in the synopsis and yet there was little to draw the reader's emotions. Their boss accepted their decision, and the anticipated fall out didn't realise with the expected level of conflict.

The story was easy to read, but I find it difficult to recommend it, even to readers of YA fantasy books.

Linzé's rating

Book Feature: DECEIVING BELLA by Cate Beauman

Ethan Cooke Security and their bodyguard team return to action in Deceiving Bella – book eleven in Cate Beauman’s Bodyguards of L.A. County series.

With over 7700 reviews and a 4.4 rating for the entire series, see why the Bodyguards of L.A. County is a multi-award winning series.

Buy It Now!

Amazon | Kobo | Nook | iBooks

New to the series? No problem! Each book in the “Bodyguards” series is a stand-alone title. Although reading the books in order is preferred, it is not necessary. Each title features brand new primary characters and limited overlapping secondary characters. Don’t hesitate to jump right in!

Isabella Colby has always yearned for normalcy. Now that she’s settled in LA, she finally has it. Good friends, a pretty home, and her thriving career as the Palisades’ top skincare specialist are a dream come true. Bella is content until she meets her hunky new neighbor, but her attraction to the blue-eyed cutie is the least of her worries when contacting her long-lost father threatens to destroy her happy life.

Reed McKinley is more than ready to forget the past. His seven-year stint as an NYPD detective nearly got him killed. His wounds have healed and he’s starting over as Ethan Cooke Security’s latest recruit. With sixty-hour workweeks and little time to himself, the last thing on his mind is a relationship. Then he bumps into the gorgeous woman next door.

Reed and Bella become fast friends. Before long, Reed discovers that Bella is keeping dangerous secrets. Bella may have the answers to decades-old questions he’s been searching for. Reed will risk it all to uncover the truth, but he soon realizes that the deeper he digs, the direr the consequences.

The Unofficial Deceiving Bella Soundtrack

I love music! I can’t imagine a world without catchy tunes playing, especially when I’m writing. Music is inspiration. Melodies, beats, and the mood of each song help me portray emotions and feelings as I tell a story. It’s a rare day when I don’t have my headphones in place, bopping my head, while my fingers race across the keyboard. You can listen to the “soundtrack” for each book on my website www.catebeauman.com.

The soundtrack, of sorts, for Deceiving Bella:

• Favorite Song by Ben Rector
• Lay It All On Me by Rudimental w/Ed Sheeran
• Into You by Ariana Grande
• Cake by the Ocean by DNCE
• Truth by Steve Moakler
• Any Other Name by Thomas Newman
• Rock Bottom by Hailee Steinfeld
• All I Want by Kodaline
• Crash by Usher
• Stand By You by Rachel Platten

Cate Beauman “Fun Facts!”

1. Most of my story ideas come from watching hours of crime television/documentaries.
2. Music is a major part of my writing process. Great songs are very motivating—kind of like when you find an amazing jam to exercise to.
3. I like to try recipes I think my characters would want to eat.
4. I often dream that my finger is stuck on the delete key or that I’m rewriting scenes that are perfectly fine.
5. When I’m writing the first draft of a new book, I hardly sleep.
6. My husband reads every word I write and critiques my stories.
7. When I get writer’s block I take a shower. For some reason it seems to get ideas flowing again!
8. I usually fill an entire spiral notebook with additional ideas for a story by the time I’ve completed a novel.
9. At some point during each novel, I’m certain I don’t want to be a writer any more. Then I finish the book and I can’t imagine doing anything else.
10. I keep notebooks in my car, purse, etc. because I never know when an idea will come to me.

Read an excerpt from Deceiving Bella:

They kept a slow pace, strolling in silence as the breeze plastered their clothes to their bodies and the constant sound of waves hypnotized, lulling Reed into relaxing by degrees.

“Thanks for coming with me tonight. It’s nice having company.”

He looked at Bella, staring at the fading light playing off her eyes. “The water smells better than a bunch of sweaty guys.”

“Your gym.” Her brow creased ever so slightly as she held his gaze. “What do you do for fun?”

“Work and box.”

“Sounds…like a good time.”

“I like it.”

“Do you smile?”

He frowned. “Huh?”

“I was wondering if you ever smile—or laugh. I haven’t seen you do either since we met.”

He sent her an exaggerated grin.

She laughed.

He smiled for real this time, finding her laughter infectious.

“You do smile. I wasn’t sure if you had some sort of facial paralysis we hadn’t discussed yet.”

He grinned.

“You should do that more often.” She hooked her arm through his.

He almost missed a step as the warmth of her skin met his, surprised by her casual gesture. He wasn’t used to people being so touchy-feely. “I do it plenty.”

“I’ll have to take your word for it.”

How was it possible she smelled even better now that they stood so close? It had to be her hair. “I don’t know what to say to that.”

She stopped abruptly. “Are you seeing anyone?”

He studied her, not sure that he liked where this was going. “No. You interested?”

She shook her head. “You’re not really my type.”

He tried to ignore the direct hit to his ego. “You’re not mine either.”

Another smile warmed her face. “I think we could be great friends, and I like projects—love them, actually.”

His frown returned. “And that means…”

“It means I like you. And I love that you don’t seem to have any interest in getting into my pants.”

Years of concealing any and all facial expressions kept his eyes from popping wide. “Wow.” He ran his hand through his hair, speechless once again. “Okay.”

She laughed. “I’m a big fan of honesty—putting it right out there.”

He chuckled as he settled his sunglasses on top of his head. “Clearly.”

They started walking again.

“There’s something about you that feels…safe.”

He raised his brow, taken aback. He’d been called many things, but this was a first. “Safe?”

She nodded. “Safe. It’s a good thing, but you’re pretty serious. We need to lighten you up. You need to play more.”

“I play plenty. I box.”

She scoffed, “Beating someone’s face in can’t lead you down the road to happiness.”

Her side brushed his with every step. He imagined he should ease away, break their connection, but he liked the way she felt, that she trusted him. “There’s more to boxing than beating someone’s face in.”

She looked at him as if she wasn’t so sure.

“I’ll have to show you—” He glanced over his shoulder when he realized they hadn’t seen Lucy for a while and laughed as the dog lay on her back in the sand with her front paws in the air. “What is she doing?”

“Sunbathing.”

He laughed again, shaking his head. “I’ve never seen anything like that.” His eyes met Bella’s as she stared at him. “What?”

“You have a great laugh.”

To his surprise, he was having a great time. It shocked him further that he liked Bella as much as she seemed to like him. Being here with her was exactly what he’d needed. “How long do you want to stay?”

“The sun sets soon. It’s the best part.”

The sand wasn’t bothering him much, and he couldn’t remember the last time his shoulders felt so loose. “I don’t have a blanket.”

“We can sit on our shoes.” She tossed hers down. “We can plunk ourselves right here.”

Lucy rolled to her side, stood, and ran their way.

He shrugged, dropping his flip-flops to the ground. “I guess this is as good a place as any.”

“It’ll be spectacular.” She took his hand, pulling him down next to her. “You won’t regret it.”

“We’ll have to remember a blanket next time.”

She smiled. “You want to come back?”

He stared ahead, petting Lucy when she curled up next to him, breathing in Bella with each inhalation. “I could see myself doing this again.”

She gave his shoulder a bump. “Good. You can be my beach buddy.”

He nodded, liking the idea. “Yeah, sure.”

“Great.”

“Great.” He crossed his ankles in the sand, his foot brushing Bella’s as they settled in to enjoy the show. It had been too damn long since he watched a sunset.

Did you enjoy the excerpt? You can read the first chapter on my website, www.catebeauman.com, or you can finish the whole book with the links below!

Amazon | Kobo | Nook | iBooks

About the author:

International bestselling author Cate Beauman is known for her full-length, action-packed romantic suspense series, The Bodyguards of L.A. County. Her novels have been nominated for the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, National Indie Excellence Award, Golden Quill Award, Writers Touch Award, and have been named Readers Favorite Five Star books. In 2015, JUSTICE FOR ABBY was selected as the Readers' Favorite International Book Award Gold Medalist, while SAVING SOPHIE took the Silver Medal. SAVING SOPHIE was also selected as the 2015 Readers Crown Award winner for Romantic Suspense and FALLING FOR SARAH received the silver medal for the 2014 Readers' Favorite Awards.

Cate makes her home in North Carolina with her husband, two boys, and their St. Bernards, Bear and Jack. Currently Cate is working on her twelfth full-length romantic suspense novel.

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For a limited time: new subscribers will receive a free copy of Morgan’s Hunter and Falling For Sarah, books one and two in the Bodyguards of L.A. County Series!

Follow Cate

Amazon Author Page

http://www.amazon.com/Cate-Beauman/e/B00A05KHVM/

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Social links:

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Linzé's Mischief: 30 October 2016

How do you stare fear in the eyes and win?

What is holding me back from chasing my dream of writing full-time? I have been asking myself this question for many months now and I still don't have an answer.

The facts:

• I cannot make a living from my writing.
• I cannot expect my husband to support me financially. It would be grossly unfair to him since it is not his fault that my writing cannot pay my share of the bills.
• My day job is incredibly stressful and my physical health is suffering because of it. Thanks to my writing, I do cope well from a mental health point of view. Something I am grateful for.

Considering my options...

The obvious choice would be to find another job. And it turned out to be more difficult than I thought it would be. I am employed as a senior project manager. Outside of the military industry, I am unable to find the same job, because I don't have experience in software development where most of the project management jobs are these days.

Nor do I have the qualifications for the second most number of jobs in project management - construction. You need to have a mechanical or civil engineering background; I have an electronics engineering degree and it is not in software development.

Yes, I am an engineer, but I have been out of that game for almost ten years. Also not sure if I want to go back there.

The third choice would be to take a pay cut. And unbelievably, everyone in this country seems to think the only reason to find another job is to make more money. Yes, for most people that may be true, but I am not most people. So that option is clearly an impossibility, to my greatest frustration.

Plan A, because it worked before.

So I am back to staring at the monster in my life: what do I do? If I was ten years younger, plan A would have been to start my own business (again) and just go for it. I know what it entails since I had been down that road with success. But that was engineering, and yeah, that ship has sailed.

Ten years on and I am thinking about the issues involving retirement. Can I afford to retire? Thankfully, retirement is not the financial mountain I had feared (thanks to good advice when I was young). I am not going to live in the lap of luxury (not that I do that right now), but abject poverty has been averted because of listening to the aforementioned advice.

But I am too young to retire, so that isn't much of an option right now.

What about Plan B?

Plan B would be to start another company that has something to do with writing, my passion. But would yet another publishing company survive? There are already so many out there.

I registered Muses and Broomsticks (Pty) Ltd, and yes, it is a publishing company albeit with a slight difference. And so the fear remains.

Plan C?

In my immediate future, I am going to do NaNoWriMo, edit and publish Waiting for Adrian, and move on to writing the fifth novel in the series. So the status quo continues...and with it a victorious monster. For now.

It took me so much longer than usual to hit 'publish' on this post. But I managed to slay this monster. I will slay the big one too. One day.

Until next time!

Linzé

Nine Things to Help Make your NaNoWriMo a Success in 2016

November is around the corner, and NaNoWriMo is already taking centre stage in many of the social media sites where writers congregate. If you plan to take part this year, make you are prepared for what is install for the 30 day, 50k challenge.

1. Tell your friends and family that you will be taking part in NaNoWriMo. Explain the time commitment. Say ‘no’ when you have to. December is time enough to catch up with them again.
2. Week 1: Get ahead of the word count target as soon as you can. Writing 1667 words per day requires a 1.5 to 2 hour commitment from you depending on how fast you write.
3. Make a backup of your work. You will spend hours writing. Don’t be stupid and take the risk of losing it with computer problems. Backup! Backup!
4. Week 2 is the most difficult week of NaNoWriMo. Be prepared for things to interfere with your writing. See point 1 and 2.
5. The people in your life will not take you seriously if you don’t take yourself seriously as a writer.
6. Week 3: Focus and make sure you are keeping up with the word count target. If you get stuck, ask for help/support. Take part in word sprints and word challenges to help you to keep going. This is not the time to give up!
7. Week 4: Dig deep. Keep calm. Keep writing, even if you feel like giving up. Even if you feel you are not going to make it. Keep writing!
8. Week 5: Start validating your word count. Backup your novel/short stories. The NaNoWriMo website will not save your file for you. It is your responsibility.
9. Don't forget – enjoy the challenge!

Do you have any special tips that work for you in November? Please share in the comments below.

See you at the write-ins and support groups!

Linzé

Spotlight: SCORCHED SOULS by Jeff Altabef and Erynn Altabef

Welcome to another exciting Spotlight Tour with Novel Publicity. Today, I’m sharing the spotlight for Scorched Souls, the final story in the Chosen Trilogy by Jeff Altabef and Erynn Altabef. Don't forget to enter for your chance to win some great prizes including an Amazon Gift Card, a Paperback of Scorched Souls and a dream catcher!

Participate in the Giveaway at http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2e77192111/

Get your copy at http://smarturl.it/Scorched_Souls

Here’s an Exclusive Excerpt:
I lean back in my chair; he’s dumped a bucket of ice water on my head, and the chill settles into my bones. “So the Chosen were set up to fail. You’ve planted a bomb on the planet to explode when the Deltites take over.”
He nods, a smug self-congratulatory grin on his face. “A Heart Stone to be precise. It was the only logical action to take.”
Bile burns my throat. “But billions of humans live on the planet.... They will all die. They have souls.”
Still, my father’s logic is undeniable.
“Another complication has developed.” Two different human faces materialize above us and hover in front of the image of Earth. “The woman’s name is Summer Stone. She’s what humans call Native American, and is the mother to the Alpha among the Chosen. The man is not from her tribe. He’s what they call Irish.”
“So?” Why does he care?
“The calculations behind the Chosen were extremely advanced and fragile.” A third face joins that of the others. “The Alpha’s name is Juliet Wildfire Stone. She was supposed to be born from a union between two members of the same Native American tribe. That genetic combination was the only way humans could produce a Chosen strong enough to be an Alpha and draw power from the other three. The secret order had specific rules regarding this, yet they failed to heed them. Fools! I can’t predict what the outcome will be of this particular pairing.”
I study the faces and notice that Juliet has inherited much of her physical appearance from her mother: the long straight black hair, the caramel colored eyes, brown skin and high cheekbones—all but her sharp nose, which resembles her father’s.
Her eyes seem to sparkle, but I shake my head. These are only holographic images. I can’t read too much into them or let my imagination cloud my reason. “I don’t understand the problem. Either she is powerful enough to be the Alpha, or she isn’t. Since you want them to fail, why do you care?”
My father bores his gaze into me, and an icy blade carves into my chest and twists. “There is a third possibility.”
My body turns weak. I’m lucky I’m already sitting. It’s unthinkable, but it’s the only thing that might frighten my father. “You’re afraid she’s an... abomination.”
“I can’t rule it out. Even if she is, she won’t be strong enough defeat an Elite, but we can’t take any chances. I want you to go to Earth. Make sure the Chosen fail and never find out about our plans. They can’t tell the Deltites about the Heart Stone I’ve planted on the planet. If they retrieve that crystal, all would be lost, and they could use its power against us.”
“Me.” I point to my chest. “Why me? Why not send someone else, someone who has already proven—”
“I trust no one else with this! You will succeed and return to Alpha, and when you return you will take the final test. This way we have an excuse for your... reluctance to finish the final exam.”
Two small discs fly into his hand, and he hands one to me. “This one is programmed with my brainwaves. You will use it when you have succeeded. I will keep the second here, so I can contact you... if need be.”
I sense the implied threat in his words and bow my head. “Yes, father. As you command.”
If pure evil exists in this universe, it’s sitting next to me, and I am this monster’s son. What does that make me?
I glance at the hologram of Earth above me. It’s a beautiful planet.
He’s sentenced billions of humans to die, but can I carry out the punishment?

About The Book:
Fate and destiny clash in the explosive, heart-pounding conclusion to the award-winning Chosen series.
~~~~~
Survival is not enough.
Alliances will be formed.
Loyalties tested.
A choice made.
My name is Juliet Wildfire Stone and I’m not just a Chosen, I’m the Alpha… and the fate of Earth rests in my hands.
When I finally met the Prime Elector, he wasn’t anything like I expected. He was supposed to be our mortal enemy, a monster I needed to destroy to fulfill my destiny, yet he was nothing like that—he’s young, brilliant, and looks like an angel.
Caught in the middle of a conflict between two ancient foes, which threatens to rip Earth apart, I must do what is right at all costs. To choose my fate, and Earth’s future, I will need to navigate a new path, form unlikely alliances, and solve ancient mysteries forgotten for centuries.
Yet I cannot do it alone. Will the other Chosen follow me? Do I have the strength to make the right choice, or will the people of Earth be enslaved for all time?

About the Authors:
Jeff Altabef is an award-winning author who lives in New York with his wife, two daughters, and Charlie the dog. He spends time volunteering at the writing center in the local community college. After years of being accused of “telling stories,” he thought he would make it official. He writes in both the thriller and young adult genres.
Jeff is very happy and proud that his co-author for the Chosen Series is his teenaged daughter, Erynn Altabef. Wind Catcher, the first in the Chosen Series, has won the 2015 Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal for Coming of Age Novels, the 2015 Beverly Hills Book Award for Best YA Fiction and a Mom’s Choice Award.
As an avid Knicks fan, Jeff is prone to long periods of melancholy during hoops season. Jeff has a column on The Examiner focused on writing and a blog designed to encourage writing by those who like telling stories.

Connect with Jeff on: 

Website: http://www.jeffaltabef.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jeff-Altabef-Author-479282732198216/?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffAltabef
Newsletter: http://www.jeffaltabef.com/newsletter

Erynn Altabef

Erynn Altabef is an avid reader, dancer, and community activist. Some of her favorite authors are Veronica Roth, Joelle Charbonneau, and her dad! (That would be Jeff Altabef.) She just started her freshman year at Connecticut College is proud to be a camel!!!

Connect with Erynn on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erynnaltabefauthor/

THE BILLIONAIRE BARITONE

Amethyst loves music and enjoys hip-hop dancing to spice up her dull and dreary life. But one evening on her way home from dance class, she hears a voice that drew her away from her route.

Caught in the act of eavesdropping, her life is about to change in a way she has never foreseen.

David didn't quite know what to do with the beautiful trespasser, but when he learned that she was injured, taking care of her was the only solution.

Little did he suspect that she was about to take care of his lonely heart in return.

CHAPTER 19

When they eventually came up for air, Jeff and Phyllis were openly smiling.
David smiled too. He couldn't do anything else.
“There is one more thing, and you are entitled to say no this time, and I won't push you.”
“Sounds serious,” Amethyst replied.
“The Morecroft Foundation hosts an annual Christmas charity event to collect money for children to learn and study music at school. Jeff and Mother have been after me for years to sing with them, but I have refused—”
“Because you don't sing duets with people,” she finished for him.
“Yes. But I will sing if you will sing with me.”
Her eyes widened. She looked from one son to the next to the mother, biting her lip with tears in her eyes.
“Will you sing with me, my heart?”
Her tears told him she knew how much this meant to him. “I will. For you, I will. May I ask—”
“Name it,” David interrupted, making her smile at his eagerness.
“Can we add dance to the list for the kids to study? I love dancing, but it was always too expensive for private classes—”
The kiss told her everything she needed to know.

Three weeks later.

“Do I look okay?”
Phyllis stood next to her soon-to-be daughter-in-law. “You look beautiful. My son is going to swallow his tongue when he sees you.”
The two women giggled at the thought of the dynamic CEO of the Morecroft Corporation being speechless.
A knock on the door reminded them that it was time to go.
“Ready?”
The women shared a quick hug before leaving the dressing room. They were met by Jeff and David and true enough, her fiancé was speechless when he saw her.
Amethyst felt beautiful when he looked at her. The lilac gown with its silver beading had been his choice. The silver heels and the strings of small beads the hairdresser had woven into her long hair were the perfect items to complete her outfit. The only other thing she wore was the engagement ring of diamonds and amethysts on her left hand.
She often looked at it and pinched herself until she looked into his eyes, then she knew it wasn't a dream.
Phyllis winked at her and took Jeff's arm as David escorted her to the stage to loud applause.
Sure enough, the press had been scathing about her background, but she kept her head high and her back stiff when they were approached in public.
When the applause died down, Jeff sat down at the piano and played the introduction to Jingle Bells.
When David took her hand and opened his mouth, she forgot about the press and the people attending the event. She looked at her husband-to-be and sang with him, for him.
By the time the last notes of Silent Night faded into the theater, people were on their feet applauding with a deafening noise.
David lifted her hand to his lips. “I love you.”
She cupped his cheek with her right hand, healed but still a little stiff. “And I will sing duets of the heart with you forever.”

The End.

You can read the entire story on Wattpad

Thank you for reading Amethyst and David's story.

I hope you enjoyed it.

💜  Linzé

Book Review: CORPORATE CITIZEN by Gabriel Valjan

Title: Corporate Citizen: Roma Series Book Five

Genre: Mystery-Suspense/Thriller

Author: Gabriel Valjan

Website: www.gabrielvaljan.com

Publisher: Winter Goose Publishing

Purchase link: http://amzn.to/2b9E2qE

About the Book from the back cover:

A call for help from an old friend lands Bianca and the crew back in Boston. On a timeout with Dante, due to revelations in the aftermath of the showdown in Naples, Bianca is drawn to a mysterious new ally who understands the traumas of her past, and has some very real trauma of his own. Murder, designer drugs, and a hacker named Magician challenge our team, and Bianca learns that leaving Rendition behind might be much harder than she thinks.

About the Author:

Gabriel Valjan is the author of the Roma Series from Winter Goose Publishing as well as numerous short stories. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts, where he enjoys the local restaurants, and his two cats, Squeak and Squawk, keep him honest to the story on the screen.

Twitter: @GValjan

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gabriel-Valjan/291400997547203

Linzé's Review

I volunteered to read and review this book as part of a blog tour. It wasn't until I opened the ebook that I realised it is the fifth book in a series.

It doesn't take you long to realise that the books must be read in order, despite the claim that they could be read as standalone books. There is a lot of history between the characters and their past associations that is not revealed in the story.

The story is complicated with several murders, conspiracy theories and conjecture that makes it difficult to follow given the context and history.

I liked Nick. He is not the main character and yet he is easier to understand and empathise with than the others in the story. He enters the story as a suspect and gets involved in the process. While he has his issues, his character is likeable and also someone the reader can sympathise with.

Bianca is the main character and the lead investigator in the story. If it wasn't for the character list at the start of the ebook, it would have taken the reader at least four chapters to get that information. As a character she appears cold and distant, even though her actions (she touches her friends and the cats without hesitation) say the opposite. As the main character she is not easy to relate to, and that might also be because of the lack of reading the first four books in the series.

Her past and her issue with intimacy was explored without any depth, and might again be because I haven't read any earlier books.

The other characters were sometimes confusing. They were either addressed by a nickname (prior history again), first name, or last name. It makes it difficult to figure out who is who, despite the character list. A list in a printed book is easier to refer to than in an ebook.

I liked the cats and the way they took part in the story. Their individual characters were well woven into the story, although in the end, they could have served as an opportunity to explore more of the 'human' side of the characters.

In the end, I remained confused as to the motivation of the antagonists in the story for involving some of the characters in their schemes. Again, maybe details in earlier books, or setting up a plot for the next book somehow.

The plot was complicated and the author did hint throughout the story what the reader should expect at the ending, yet all the while creating an expectation of a different outcome. It was not entirely a satisfying ending, despite continuing the story with another book.

There is a sixth book in the series, and from the way this book was written, the story would simply carry on.

It is difficult to rate the book based on my experience, so my rating is based on my experience of the characters, the plot, the structure and the limited backstory as presented.

My rating