On Holy Ground - Louise Cole Blog Tour

Synopsis:

Saving the world was just the start.
In The Devil's Poetry, Callie gambled with her life to stop a war. And she won. But now the game has changed. A Reader who understands the Book's magic is either a savior or a curse - what she can't be is free. When Callie stranded in the US, hunted and penniless, she desperately needs allies. But whose agenda can she trust? She must re-evaluate everything she knows, and find a way to escape, or die trying.

Review:

Late in June of last year I was happily a part of The Devil's Poetry blog tour and back then I was ecstatic with the opportunity and absolutely loved the book and tour so when I was contacted about being a part of the On Holy Ground ( The Devil's Poetry Series #2) Blog Tour, I simply could not say no.

On Holy Ground started with one hell of an opening sentence, which I absolutely loved but will not post here because its sort of a bummer to share something you should read in the book first, and even that's after reading the first of the series.

As with the previous book the point of view switches between first person from Callie and third person from a range of other characters’ perspectives. With nearly a year between when I read the first book it took me a little while to find my way with remembering the characters but I managed easy enough once I settled.

While The Devil's Poetry was set nearly exclusively around Callie's home town and London, the second instalment of the series jumps locations several times, and we get to see a lot more of the Order and the Cadaveri. The location jumping and the wide focus we get which allows us to see more of The Order and The Cadaveri is one of the highlights of this book. As it shows us more of these two opposing teams per say, we have a chance to learn more about their aims, their motives and what they are and are not willing to do to achieve them compared to what we see in The Devil's Poetry. I found that throughout the book, the lines of good and evil and the choice between right and wrong become so hard to distinguish and more faded than ever. There's no denying that the moral complexity in this series alone, not just this book, is one of my favourite things, it reflects the real world around us much more effectively than anything that has the good guys fighting the forces of evil.

In On Holy Ground I absolutely loved seeing Callie having to deal with things on her own. In The Devil's Poetry she generally had the Order around her, a team of highly skilled operatives protecting and directing her in the way she needed to go. In On Holy Ground she's cut off, isolated and on the run and she's bloody brilliant! The 'chase' sequences are well written, dramatic and exciting and have the feel of a action movie to them as she changes disguises and tries to stay one step ahead of her pursuers. It's also very hard for her and me as the reader to be sure of who she can trust, as every one has their own agenda. Despite this, it is nice to see Callie keep acknowledging the help she is receiving, whether from strangers or her support network back home, and that wherever she is, knows that she is never completely alone.

There is no way on this god given earth that I can give this book anything less than a 5/5, it ramps up the action and drama in comparison to the first book, gives us more detail of the world of which its set within and allows the reader to interact with some morally complex characters. I must say that if you haven't read the first book of the series but want to read this one, definitely take the time to read the first book first, it makes a difference.

Book Information

Title: On Holy Ground (The Devil’s Poetry #2)

Author: Louise Cole

Release Date: 14^th April 2018

Genre: YA Thriller

Publisher: Valkyrie Books

Format: Ebook & Paperback

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38721327-on-holy-ground

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Holy-Ground-Devils-Poetry-Book-ebook/dp/B07C1XVTXD

Author Information

Louise Cole has spent her life reading and writing. And very occasionally gardening. Sometimes she reads as she gardens. She can be seen walking her dogs around North Yorkshire - she's the one with a couple of cocker spaniels and a Kindle. She read English at Oxford - read being the operative word - and hasn't stopped reading since.

In her day-job she is an award-winning journalist, a former business magazine editor and director of a media agency. She writes about business but mainly the business of moving things around: transport, logistics, trucks, ships, and people.

Her fiction includes short stories, young adult thrillers, and other stuff which is still cooking.

Her YA and kids’ fiction is represented by Greenhouse Literary Agency and she is also published on Amazon as one of the Marisa Hayworth triumvirate.

Don't forget to check out the other blog posts on this blog tour.

Juniper Limits (The Juniper Series, #2) - Lora Richardson

Synopsis:

Celia has spent her life waiting for the next crisis. When the tension at home begins to ease, she wonders if she’ll finally be able to relax. Her father has stopped drinking, her cousin Fay has moved back to Juniper, and it seems like Paul might really care about her. But trust is an uphill battle for Celia, fighting against doubt the whole way.

Paul has been drawn to Celia for as long as he can remember, and she is finally giving him a chance to show her how he feels. But when Celia can’t stop worrying everything will fall apart, and when things in Paul’s own life take a turn for the worse, can they learn to rely on each other?

Review:

Having read and reviewed Lora's work which is the first book of The Junpier Series called The Edge Of Junpier and fell in love I was more than happy and honoured to read Junpier Limits. This time we follow Paul and Celia throughout the book, watching their friendship strengthen and blossom.

I was so happy to be back in Juniper and seeing who felt like old friends, this story takes place so close to where The Edge Of Junpier ended and it all fitted so well. Celia's father Tedd is staying sober after being within the hold of alcohol for so long which we got to see in the previous book. it was ice to finally have faith in Tedd and wish he would follow the sobriety all the way through. At the end of the previous book we find out that after leaving Junpier, Fay is moving back and the trio she left behind are excited for her to return. All the while Paul is trying hard to show Celia how much he cares for her and he means it all but Celia doubts him all the way having struggled with trust for a long time.

It's beautiful to watch them both blossom with each other, I knew in the previous book that Paul cared and he was being true. Paul is a breath of fresh air. He isn't a bad boy, just a funny and cheery guy who is persistent in his pursuit of the only girl he's set on getting, but much like Celia his life isn't perfect and my heart really goes out to him, he's caring and sympathetic and yet he's strong and way beyond his years.

What struck me (yet again) about Juniper Limits is how realistic it feels. The dialogue and humor shared between Celia and Paul was so true and relalistic. When it came to how Celia dealt with the stress at home, her reactions felt so believable. Between the sadly true to life situations Celia and Paul were dealing with, Celia's reluctance to trust not only Paul but anyone, and Paul's conflicted feelings about his mother, there was a feeling of authenticity that ran throughout the book. Richardson perfectly captured Celia's tough outer shell, her constant worry, her fear to hope for better, and the shred of hope she allowed herself to feel anyway.

I don't think I can score any lower than 5/5 here, Lora has blown me away again and it was incredible to be able to see their faces and Juniper once again. I went through so many emotions whilst reading this book, all of them with the characters and that just shows you how great Lora writes. It was sad to have to leave them behind when I closed the eBook but I hope ill be seeing them again sometime.

Esper Files: The Sky Cult - Egan Brass

Synopsis:

After the events of the first book, Freya has joined the Institute - an organization created to help Espers control their powers, and she thought she’d finally found peace.

That is, until Anti-Esper weapons find their way into the hands of The Coalition, a radical group who is determined to kill anyone with powers.
At the same time, the Sky Cult has arisen, claiming that Espers have the right to rule over lowly humans.
The timing couldn’t be worse, as all of this happens three days before Esper Day, the first holiday designed to show that humans and Espers can coexist.

Now Nathan, Freya and the team have to fight both organizations in a race against time before one of the radical groups tips the scales, and plunges the entire world into their own version of Armageddon.

Review:

So this is indeed the second book of a series. Back in the first book which I got as a paperback, we discover the world of Espers based in London who are in fact humans who after an experiment that had gone wrong in the late part of the 19th century, gain extraordinary powers. A thing called The Institute is set up to help those who have the powers to control them and stop corrupt Espers from abusing them. We meet up with the characters from the last book, Nathan, James and Freya who joined The Institute in the last book alongside her brother who still in this book is effected by the happenings in book 1.

Meeting back up with these characters felt so lovely, once I was asked to give an honest review for this book in return for a getting a free copy I just couldn't say no because I fell in love with the characters, the unique plot and the writing itself.

Sky Cult picked up shortly after the first book, the book automatically pushes you into the action without faffing around. 2 new what ill call baddies are introduced. One called Juniper who can control thunder and lightning (this makes me think of Thor) and secondly Lichtmann (you don't need too much help to translate that name) who can burn others with his touch and emits golden light whilst he believes himself to be an angel. Juniper is the leader of 'The Sky Cult' and Lichhtmann is just there to protect Jupiter under the orders of a mysterious character called Hades.

What I love is how real the characters are portrayed, Freya is still just a typical teenager, she probably believes herself to be indestructible, a hero. You know all of the things teenagers believe themselves to be? Except she can wield ice and is learning to control it which allows her to use it for good.

Nathan is still as attractive as he was the first time around, not in the sense of looks but in the way of his sarcasm, his personality and strength and determination and how protective he is and willing to risk all. I love his overall character just as much as I love the others.

What is great about this book is that it's actually diverse, we have people of colour and different ethnicities. Its beautiful to see that they aren't getting excluded from becoming beautiful powerful extraordinary characters. I also love the fact you do hear about slavery for a small part in the book which I felt had to be covered to help fill out James' character.

The book has so much action and what is called steam punk parts, both of these made the book awesome once again. All the characters that kind of played second to the main characters are characters I cant wait to see again if they every do make another appearance, like the Phantom Thief and Red Cap (who has the most amazing and hilarious one liners ever who reminds me a little of Deadpool) which also brings me to the point that I love more Espers from the institute were also featured which helped you understand the true reach and power of Espers.

I definitely didn't see the end of the book coming for sure, I loved that all  the questions you first want to ask get answered but then when you look back, you end up having more questions than actual answers and somehow that just makes me love it even more. What I am super looking forward to finding out all about the mysterious Hades, he has so much power through this book even though he isn't actually a huge part of it (if that makes sense, like he is present in the books but he isn't an actual fully fledges character we see every chapter or paragraph) I cant wait to find out about everything that was left unanswered at the end. I'm just so in love with this series that I think I'm never going to want to let go.

Its definitely a 5/5 from me for the second instalment of Esper Files, I'm looking forward to the next instalment. I'm probably going to have to heavily occupy myself up until it is available to read. I can recommend this to family, friends, strangers on the street, everybody and anybody.

City of Buried Ghosts (Elisenda Domènech Investigations #2) - Chris Lloyd

Synopsis:

Be careful what you dig up… Still recovering from the tragedy that hit her team, Elisenda takes on a new case. Except it’s not new. On an archaeological dig by the coast a body is uncovered, seemingly executed with a spike thrust through the base of the skull – an ancient tribal ritual. It soon becomes clear that this body is neither ancient nor modern, but a mysterious corpse from the 1980s.

Assigned to the case along with her team, Elisenda soon uncovers a complex world of star archaeologists, jealousy and missing persons. They find a dark trade in illicit antiquities, riddled with vicious professional rivalries. And even though she’s staying close to the crime scene, Elisenda is also never far from enemies of her own within the police force.

Just as the case seems to become clear it is blown wide-open by another horrific murder. Elisenda must fight her personal demons and office politics, whilst continuing to uncover plots and hatreds that were long buried. How far will she go to solve the crime? Is her place in the force secure? And can she rebuild her life?

Review:

So this book takes places many months after the first instalment and its clear straight away that Elisenda is still struggling with her demons and that the rest of her team are still trying to cope with the betrayal and loss of one of their team members. As stated in the synopsis, the team end up with a cold case and then a fresh case both just as gory and very disturbing. This story is about the archaeological world and its unseen dark side. It explores the issue of stolen archaeological artefacts which somehow ties into two murders committed over thirty years apart.

The plot really is great, I love how much detail Chris uses as it keep you engaged and leaves you wanting to actually go an visit the setting itself. The more I read the further I fall in love with the series, I fell further in love with the members of the team after I got to know them a little bit more. Part of me really does just want to wrap them up in cotton wool and keep them safe. Elisenda is still strong and independent and smart and she still has not issue with standing up for what she believes in no matter what which I really love, I hope that soon she can fight off her demons and have all the happiness she deserves. Alex is still haunted by his experience from the last book and I really feel for him as you can really se how deeply it has effected him, its changed his character and it actually made me sad. All Elisenda wants is for the old Alex she knows to return but he doubts that he ever will. I feel like Josep and Montse are the ruts of the litter, like they are giving the long and draining parts of the investigations, doing a lot of research and fiddly things, they do their job well and with their characters doing it, it really helps paint a picture of them and how hard working they are.

I don't really want to give too much detail on the story because this story is one of those that can lose its touch if one thing is spoilt. What I can say is though you need to settle down and hold on tight because there are twists you can not see coming. You can try and figure it out like I tried to, I have faith you might do better than I did because I wasn't even close. I feel like you should try your best to remember every character you see in the span of this book just so you can get a clearer picture of everything and trust me it will help you understand.

You easily get absorbed in the story and can really believe you're involved. I cant even think of a bad thing about this book, not this time. I didn't really know what to expect going into the book but I really loved what I got when I was there. its a 5 out of 5 from me and I really cant wait to see what Chris has in store for Elisenda and her team in City of Drowned Souls which I will be moving on to read in the near future.

I have to recommend this to any crime/thriller reader, I don't feel like youd have to read the first instalment but if you want to get to really know the characters, reading it would be best.

Once Taken (Riley Paige Mystery #2) - Black Pierce

Synopsis:

ONCE TAKEN is book #2 in the bestselling Riley Paige mystery series, which begins with ONCE GONE (Book #1)--a free download with over 100 five star reviews!

Women are being murdered in upstate New York, their bodies found mysteriously hanging in chains. With the FBI called in, given the bizarre nature of the murders—and the lack of any clues—there is only one agent they can turn to: Special Agent Riley Paige.

Riley, reeling from her last case, is reluctant to take on a new one, since she is still convinced a former serial killer is out there, stalking her. She knows, though, that her ability to enter a serial killer’s mind and her obsessive nature is what will be needed to crack this case, and she just can’t refuse—even if it will push her over the edge.

Riley’s search takes her deep into a killer’s deluded mind as it leads her to orphanages, mental hospitals, prisons, all in an effort to understand the depth of his psychosis. Realizing she is up against a true psychopath, she knows time is short before he strikes again. But with her own job on the line and her own family a target, and with her fragile psyche collapsing, it may all be too much for her—and too late.

A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, ONCE TAKEN is book #2 in a riveting new series—with a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night.

Review:  MAY INCLUDE SPOILERS!! (you have been warned)

After reading Once Gone (Book #1) which is a free download, I was left wanting more from the best-selling series. Like the first, Once Taken (Book #2) was a page turner right from the beginning. I hadn't originally planned on buying the second in the series but when the first book ended on a huge cliffhanger, I just couldn't resist. 


Following on immediately after Once Gone, the prologue begins with a different character who we haven't actually met yet. His name is Jimmy Cole, and he is a tour guide on the Hudson River. They tell ghost stories until one of the passengers notices something off in the distance. Cole knows that they're drunk so he doesn't think anything of it, but when curiosity gets the better of him, he decides to investigate; only to come across a victim of the newest serial killer in this book. It also gives us an idea as to where the rest of the book is going to be set. 

Chapter one begins where Once Gone had left off; Special Agent Riley Paige finding pebbles inside her bed. We know from the first in the series that the pebbles played an important part in the book, affecting the mental state of both Riley and her friend Marie Sayles, who was also a survivor of the murderer (Peterson) who tortured both Riley and Marie. 

Firstly, Riley was spooked by a tapping on the door, only to go outside to find pebbles laid out in front of the door. It becomes suspicious when Marie had encountered the same thing, so fearing that their would-be-killer was still alive, it put them on a constant edge. When Riley finds the pebbles in her bed, she searches the whole house in case Peterson is in fact still alive. She believes that he is but everybody else thinks she was still paranoid. After phoning the FBI for a possible intrusion, they come to the conclusion that everything was safe but Riley insists that her daughter April stays with her father, Riley's ex-husband Ryan, so that she will be safe.

When the current situation is resolved, Riley takes her daughter on a trip to New York where they bond and you begin to see how special a mother/daughter relationship can actually be. After the previous dramas of Peterson, Riley is put back on involuntary leave but when her part Agent Lucy Vargas asks for her help, she cant help herself; showing us how determined Riley is in her job. It also shows how much April has begun to understand her mothers job because she doesn't mind when Riley takes the case again.

The beginning instantly grabs your attention, the action beginning as soon as the chapter starts which is one of the main factors in what kept me going throughout the rest of the book. 

It isn't as attention grabbing as the first but still extremely close. Once Riley goes back to work, most of the reactions are positive but others start to think she's losing her mind; obviously because she believes somebody is alive who everybody else is sure they killed. 
It makes you feel really sympathetic towards the main character, as the majority of the book is set from Riley's point of view, you really get an idea of what she has been through and also, what she thinks about the situation at hand. It's quite difficult to believe that she's paranoid which leaves you wanting the rest of the characters to believe her; for her own sake. 

Throughout the book, the point of view changes, sometimes being April; Riley's Daughter, other times being Peterson, Eugene (The newest Killer), Special Agent Bill Jeffreys (Her partner and also somebody she realises she's actually becoming attracted to.) but mainly the attention is on Riley. April is also given a lot of attention in this book because she is used as a way to get revenge on Riley. Fearing that her daughter is going to be killed, she begins to search for Peterson again, but this time she has the FBI on her side after convincing them that he is still alive. Bill refuses to let her look for Peterson on her own and knows that his marriage will be in even more jeopardy than it already is, but he knows that his best friend needs him. 

Throughout the search, the book remains even more attention grabbing, always switching from Riley, to April and then Riley again. It really starts to show how Riley is beginning to gain the love of her daughter again after being isolated from her for so many weeks. Also, like the first book, we are given flashbacks about how Riley was treated at the hands of Peterson, giving us an idea of what April may be going through but also showing how messed up Riley still is by the whole situation.

This book focuses on how Riley is trying to fix her personal life while battling with the ongoing cases that just never seem to end. It's a constant page turner, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I'm giving it a 4 out of 5.

Living Dead In Dallas - Charlaine Harris

In Living Dead In Dallas, we, through the eyes of Sookie, learn more about the vampire world. And thanks to her involvement with a vampire called Bill Compton, she gets pulled farther into the supernatural world. We alongside Sookie learned about the existence of vampires and shape-shifters, and werewolves in the first novel, and now in the second instalment of the Sookie Stackhouse Series Charlaine brings another mythical creature into the mix, a  Maenad.

I'm glad to see that Sookie does not just live with vampires, that her world contains even more than vampires and werewolves. The vast world Harris had created comes even more to life with the introduction of a Maenad. It truly shows how greatly Charlaine can pull all of these mythical aspects into a world of their own.

I've seen movies and even television shows that primarily focus on the mythical creatures we know as vampires or some that show the rivalry between vampires and werewolves but to see yet another mythical party added into this mix is refreshing to me.

Word of Sookies telepathy has spread to some of the Louisiana vampires (to whom she owes a favour after early happening in the book), Sookie with Bill as her body guard (at night of course), are being loaned out to the vampires in Dallas to read the minds of their humans to find a missing vampire who is a brother to the Louisiana's vampires.

As always it doesn't go so smoothly because lets face it, something always has to go wrong. Since the vampires revealed their existence, the years that followed not everything had gone smoothly and Sookie trips over a group in Dallas who have formed a backlash against the undead. We learn of a ancient vampire called Godric, who had a brief appearance but has a somewhat emotional impact on both Sookie and definitely me as a reader.

With Sookie having faith in others and her lack of experience, and her determination to do the right thing, are both loveable and frustrating to me. I have to admit when Sookie responds to the obvious manipulations of the vampires I find myself lousily face palming as I read. As a small town girl she has never looked for trouble, her reactions to me do make a lot of sense but that did frustrate me at times.

I am the type of mystery reader who tries to figure out who's done it, I can see plot holes and I can honestly say that everything here hangs together well, there is no plot hole that I could notice and when I got to the end of the book I could only sit there and mumble 'well I wasn't expecting that.' because there is no obvious signs of what's going to happen and that just added to the intensity of the atmosphere.

The story ends with Sookie happy with her choice of choosing Bill as her lover. His mind is closed to her and she finds him a extraordinary lover and despite all she has endured since being associated with the vampires she decides her life is good. It’s nicely wrapped up as far as the story goes and with a good amount of elements introduced here that lead me to the next book, keeping me interested I can say I'm thoroughly interested in what else is in store for Sookie.

Club Dead is the third instalment of the Sookie Stackhouse series and I cannot wait to finish it and review it for you guys. Living Dead In Dallas has earned its 5 out of 5 rating like the first instalment and I do recommend it to anyone who loves mysteries.