Parched by Z.L. Arkadie

Parched (Parched Series; A Vampire Romance book 1)

I know I know...a vampire romance how cliche' right?  Well, I normally read these 500+ page epic fantasy adventure books in either hardback or paperback edition, which I add to my collection in the ever growing library. When I am in between those books, I like to sometimes take a break with more of a quick effortless read, something a bit more ...I dunno lovey kissy and hey maybe even a good romp or 5 in there. They are quick little relaxing reads. I tend to read these in between books on my Kindle app on my Galaxy tab 3 7.0, that I got for Christmas, or on my smart phone. Which is really handy, I take it on my bus commute to and from work (20 minutes each way) and I can get a good bit of reading done in that time. I've started to really look forward to my bus commutes each day, it's relax time, I'd even prefer to ride the bus than take someone up on an offer for a ride home. ha ha( I have turned down offered rides)

So, this is one of those books, I ended up reading it at home as well though, because I started enjoying it so much.

Title:  Parched book 1 in the Parched series
Author: Z.L. Arkadie
Format: Kindle edition (408 Kb)
pages: print length 226 pages
Genre: Paranormal Romance

I purchased this copy from Amazon.com for free, here.  


It took a bit for me to get into this one, I ended up having to go back and re-read the first 30% of the book. Once I got into it though, it really pulled me into the storyline.  The characters are interesting, and there is a bit of a spin on modern religion in there, which added depth to the story, but for me I thought it was a bit cheesy to add the whole religion bit in there amongst the vampires and other things. It just seemed a bit off with the scope of things, but it's so minor it's barely noticeable. The romance can be a bit frustrating at times, as most new romances can be I suppose, haha. I really enjoyed this book, though it definitely makes you want to go for the next book with some real build up and then you just get left wondering. Hence I went for the next book as well. For a quick read I'd say it was pretty decent, a bit tough to get your head around all the details in the beginning, but maybe that was my a-hole bus drivers fault with his heavy foot and jerky start stops..lost my place a couple times.  Go on, if you like paranormal romance, go for it, its free, why not.

Rating : 7/10

Regards,   BB

Green Rider by Kristen Britain

My first delayed review. I endeavored to start this over a year ago. So bare with me while I sort out the best way to lay this out for you.

How did I come upon this series...actually I was drawn by the fantastic cover art of a Pegasus and thought I would see what it's contents was like. A nice satiny feeling trade paperback size. The artwork I later discovered is by a talented young woman named April Shumacher I've attached her deviantart link.

This book is a nice hefty 500 or so pages, which I seem drawn to the books that have 500 or more pages, mostly. (Not to worry I have some smaller paranormal fantasy romance reviews coming later)

Title:  Green Rider
Author: Kristen Britain
Format: Trade paperback
pages: 592
Genre: Fantasy

I purchased my copy from a local market, but I can suggest the Book Depository for your copy, they have worldwide free shipping! here a link. Green Rider @ Book Depository

This was an excellent introduction to the story of this young woman by the name of Karrigan. The narrative is done mostly from her point of view, which I really liked. I like being able to get to know a leading character, being able to identify with them and immerse yourself into their role in the story, then it becomes more like your role in the story.
It began as I slowly got to know the character, I grew to really like this story, the writing is well done, intuitive and moves forward at a steady pace. There is no lack of action or intrigue and a splash of romance. Especially good if you happen to be an animal lover as well, which I am. Also part of the reason I was drawn to the book. It doesn't start out overtly "fantasy" themed until a bit later on, when little hints of magic things start to happen, which you discover along with the main character.

The story leads into a cliffhanger toward the end and a lead into a deeper plot for the next book. I won't give spoilers as I think it's better that way.

I loved this book and highly recommend it. I don't think it has specifically an appeal to young or older readers. It's purely a wonderful book for fantasy lovers.

Rating : 8/10 

with love,  Biblio Belladonna

I Love books! I love the smell of a new book, that's the first thing I do when I buy a book, I open it and press my face into it and inhale deeply. I find books just blissful, the look of them, the feel of them, the potential in them to transport you into a different world. Quite often I find myself in search of new titles to explore and go asking friends to suggest something. Surely I'm not the only one out there that does this? I like honest opinions about books, and what the reader thought of the story. So I thought, "ya know I read a bitt ton of books, I could write reviews on these books so others who might be searching for their next world to be transported to, the next book to sniff the intoxicating aroma from....could come here and see what I've thought of the books I'm reading!

So this is it. That's what this is for. I've decided to only do a few of the past books I've read and then do only books as I read them, that way it's fresh in my mind and the emotions and euphoria of a just read story is ripe to be put to my own words in review, for YOU to take a peek at and see if it might be the next addition to your bookshelf.

I hope over time to gain your trust in my reviews and hopefully you will come here first to find out about your next titles. yay!

I guess I should tell you a bit about the sort of books I read, so you know what to expect, eh?

Sci-fi
Fantasty
Fiction
Romance (sometimes of the racy variety)
Historical Fiction (this will be more along the lines of 14th-16th century type reads)

Beyond this I am open to suggestions, if you have seen a book and want to know what I think before you go buying it , I will do my best to get hold of it and give it a go. As long as I don;t have a que of a squintillion books to read already.

I'll add reviews in the next week or so of several titles i've read recently, to give you an idea of what i'm likely to look for in my future reads.

Untik the next chapter.....Happy Reading!