Review: Zombified by Maggie LaCroix

Description:

Monsters generally know their place: vampires get to be sexy while zombies just decompose. But Maggie La Croix’s Zombified conjures up an entirely different kind of undead raised by good old-fashioned Voodoo. These gorgeous walking corpses don’t eat brain, they don’t stagger, and their bodies are spared the indignities of putrefaction.

Take Henri Jolicoeur. More than one hundred years after his death he is still a bewitching Adonis. But zombification does have its downsides. Henri has a master, a powerful Voodoo priest whose spells keep Henri, his teenage zombie sister, and five other poor souls in perpetual servitude.

That is, until a hurricane devastates their New Orleans home and the zombies are evacuated to the Texas border town of El Paso. The curse is broken. They are free and intend to stay that way. But how can they pass for human when they don’t eat or sleep and they’re reeling from black magic withdrawal? If that isn’t enough, they have a traitor in their midst, their master is hot on their trail, and a mysterious stranger in black is watching.

Enter Josie Cortez, a cowboy boots-wearing reporter at the local newspaper who desperately needs a good story to save her moribund career and get her editor off her back. One look at Henri and his weird little family and she knows she’s struck journalism gold. But strange things keep happening around Henri, things that remind Josie of her own tragic family history with black magic, a history that cost her her beloved mother and led Josie straight to the bottom of a bottle. Josie would rather forget all about that. Forgetting Henri, however, is easier said than done, even if falling for a man without a heartbeat could get her more than a broken heart. It could get her zombified.

My Thoughts:
I enjoyed this book. An interesting take on zombies. They're walking corpses but think and have feelings and are animated by Voodoo, controlled by a Voodoo Master. Josie and Henri are both interesting characters with interesting stories, but the love story is really secondary here. We get a lot of background on the zombies and Josie and there is some suspense, but the ending is very up in the air. I get a feeling that there is another book coming. I would recommend if you like paranormal/fantasy suspense.


My Rating: ****
Steam Factor: !!
*Notes: Language

My Source: blog tour

Where to get it:

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | TWCS PH


Where to find the author:

Twitter | Facebook

Zomibified by Maggie LaCroix - Cover Reveal

PRESENTS. . .

A Cover Reveal

for

Zombified

by Maggie LaCroix

Release Date: August 28 , 2014

Published by The Writers Coffee Shop

Monsters know their place: vampires are sexy; zombies just decompose. But Maggie La Croix’s Zombified conjures up an entirely different kind of undead raised by good old-fashioned Voodoo. These gorgeous walking corpses are spared the indignities of putrefaction. Take Henri Jolicoeur. More than one hundred years after his death he is still a bewitching Adonis. But zombification does have its downsides—a powerful Voodoo priest who enslaved Henri, his teenage zombie sister, and five other poor souls. That is, until a hurricane devastates Louisiana and breaks the curse. Enter Josie Cortez, a Texas newspaper reporter who desperately needs a good story to get her editor off her back. One look at Henri and his weird little family and she knows she’s struck journalism gold. But strange, dark things keep happening around Henri. Falling for a man without a heartbeat could get her more than a broken heart. It could get her zombified.

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When she first embarked in fiction writing, Maggie thought, Piece of cake. After all, she’d been a newspaper reporter for ten years; writing was her daily bread. But Zombified, her first novel about a band of sexy zombies, was anything but easy. The story wasn’t conveniently laid out for her at a press conference; it had to be coaxed out of her own imagination. Plot points resisted solving, descriptions meandered, and characters misbehaved. But just when things seemed bleakest, it happened. Maggie fell in love with it all: the zombies, the love story, and even the rituals of writing. Maggie likes her leading women flawed and her science fiction sexy. She went to school for journalism and political science. She lives in the United States.

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Love Zombies of San Diego by E.Z. Graves - Blog Tour Review

Description: Love Zombies of San Diego by E.Z. Graves is a young adult zombie story that's a bit different. Josh is a zombie but he knows he's different from the grunting, mindless dead things he sees wandering all over the streets of San Diego. Josh doesn't breathe or have a heart that beats, but he does think, and brains are not his food of choice. He walks the streets, killing zombies with his trusty sword called Rockstar. Josh's concern that he might be the only one of his kind is dispelled when he sees Tasha, who's obviously confused and talking to herself. Tasha's a bit doubtful of Josh's theory that they are both Love Zombies, born of zombies and capable of thought and speech. They team up with other teenage Love Zombies and hatch a plan to find the source of the 'Old School' Zombies and eradicate them.

My Thoughts:
A different take on zombies. The whole love zombie thing was a little tough for me to get on board with. Written from the pov of a teenage boy zombie. It was just hard for me to connect with. There is plenty of action along with some science and social issues. There is a lot of zombie killing but the gore is not overly descriptive. Just a little icky for me.  Younger readers who love zombies may connect with this better.

My Rating: ***
Steam Factor: !!!
*Notes: Some ick factor. Violence, gore, but not overly descriptive.

My Source: blog tour

Where to get it:


Where to find the author:
Facebook
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Review: Consequences (Chronicles of M Book 4) by Nicholas Forristal

Description:
Roughly ten years have gone by since the death of A'loc and the unexpected public demonstration from M and Thomas. M, now a minor TV celebrity, is finding out there's more to being a star than just fans and with every turn a new danger lurks. New, blood thirsty mutants attack M at every chance, strange investigations in other countries and a psychopathic mass murderer are just a few examples.

Who are the BLB and why are they so intent on killing M? Why has nothing happened with the Lords and who, or what is a Domitianus? There's never a dull day in the life of M.

My Thoughts:
M on a talk show. I was hooked right there. I have enjoyed this series and this book is no exception. There are new and interesting characters, as well as old favorites. This book has Thomas, magic, zombies, Mai and Oni, and a five man midget death squad from Scotland. It is not necessary to have read the other books, but I recommend it. And this one is definitely not the end. There is death, mayhem, action, and humor. It was a fun read and I'm looking forward to book 5.

My Rating: *****
*Notes: Language

My Source: author

Where to get it:


Where to find the author:
Website
Twitter
Facebook
Google+
Goodreads

Review: Sundered by Shannon Mayer

Sundered (Nevermore Trilogy #1) by Shannon Mayer

Description:They were promised weight loss, the cure for Cancer, Parkinson’s Disease and infertility; they were promised hope.

The side effects were anything but hopeful.

Mara and Sebastian are young, in love and newlyweds. Far too soon, they will face tests to their love that most others won’t survive. Their bond strengthens with each loss, destruction and unbearable race against time. In each other, they find the will and hope to endure. Hand in hand, they will face the darkening of humanity with strength and integrity and an undeniable spirit to survive; together.

My Thoughts:
A miracle drug turns people into zombie-like beings triggering an apocalypse. This was interesting and fast-paced, I was pulled right into the story. Until the epically evil cliffhanger. Now I know why this is free. Once you read this, you NEED the next book. NOW. This was very good and I recommend it. It has romance, suspense, and zombie-like people. What's not to like? For those reviewers who said the spread of the drug and whatever else are not realistic:  It's a book about zombies. Enough said? Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to get the trilogy.

My Rating: ****
Steam Factor: !!!

My Source: kindle freebie

Where to get it:


Where to find the author:
Website
Twitter
Facebook
Pinterest
Goodreads

Review: A'loc - Chronicles of M #3 by Nicholas Forristal

A'loc (Chronicles of M, Book 3) by Nicholas Forristal 

Description:
A serial killer is on the loose. With no clues, no witnesses and the bodies piling up, the local police call for the only people who can help. What the police don't know is just how full Thomas and M's plate already is. Time is running out. It's been ten months since A'loc showed up and challenged M to a duel to the death.

For him to even have a chance against A'loc, M must learn a lifetime's worth of magic, but Thomas's brother Amit is missing. Without him, M can only hope to learn what Thomas is physically able to show him. M also has to learn how to handle himself in a fight from Mai and discover the extent his mutant powers can go, but how can he do that when he can't even beat her? It's been a long hard road for everyone and it's not even close to over yet.

Amit is the third and last book of the first trilogy in the Chronicles of M.


My Thoughts: 
M has been training for his big duel with A'loc. For a break, he gets to track down a serial killer. Quite a bit has changed over the course of the books. the feel is a bit different, and I think this is the funniest. I love M's sarcasm, especially compared to the serious Thomas. Uhler is around quite a bit, spouting random movie quotes. This book has more fighting, more magic, and more laughs. You never know what is going to happen next. With action, magic, humor, and a big dose of crazy, this is a fun read. (If you haven't read the first two, you can check out my reviews for book 1 and book 2.)

My Rating: *****
Steam Factor: !
*Notes: Blood and gore, some profanity.

My Source: author

Where to get it:
Amazon

Where to find the author:
Website
Twitter
Facebook
Google+
Pinterest
Goodreads

*WiLoveBooks Interview

Review: The Iron Duke (Iron Seas #1)

The Iron Duke (The Iron Seas) by Meljean Brook

Description:
After the Iron Duke freed England from Horde control, he instantly became a national hero. Now Rhys Trahaearn has built a merchant empire on the power-and fear-of his name. And when a dead body is dropped from an airship onto his doorstep, bringing Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth into his dangerous world, he intends to make her his next possession.

But when Mina uncovers the victim's identity, she stumbles upon a conspiracy that threatens the lives of everyone in England. To save them, Mina and Rhys must race across zombie-infested wastelands and treacherous oceans-and Mina discovers the danger is not only to her countrymen, as she finds herself tempted to give up everything to the Iron Duke.


My Thoughts:
This was my first experience reading steampunk and I have to say I really enjoyed it. I read sci-fi and historical romances and this was sort of a combination, but with an alternate history and zombies. Something about the romance felt a little off to me, though. Maybe it was the overly explicit language that felt like too much, or the way the Duke seemed to look at Mina as a possession and it's not exactly clear when that changed. I liked Mina and I could see where she was coming from and why she thought the way she did. I was pulled into the story, and overall I thought it was a great read.  


My Rating: ****
Steam Factor: !!!!

Review: Deja Demon

Deja Demon: The Days and Nights of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom (Kate Connor - Demon Hunter, #4) by Julie Kenner

Description:

Between attending gala fundraisers for her husband’s political campaign, training her teenage daughter to wield a crossbow and a stiletto, pottytraining a toddler, and her increasingly complicated personal life, Kate Connor hardly has time to prepare for the impending chaos of a neighborhood Easter party that has her enslaved to dying hundreds of hard-boiled eggs.

Keeping the local kiddos in line will take all of Kate’s skills as a mother and demon hunter, just when she’ll need them the most. The High Demon Goramesh has returned to San Diablo —this time with a full-blown army of the undead and a powerful demonic ally. Once again, it’s up to Kate to save the world. Good thing she can multi-task... 

My Thoughts:
I have been enjoying this series about a retired demon-hunter who ends up back in the game even though she now has a teenager and a toddler. This one is my favorite so far. There isn't as much of the every-day mom stuff, which tended to drag down some of the other books. It still shows how she has to juggle and balance all of her duties.  Lots of action and twists in this one that made me want to keep going to find out what happened next. Some of the twists I figured out ahead of time, but it was still enjoyable.

My Rating: ****
Steam Factor: !