Amanda Weidensjö

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: The story of the mythical Venus who comes to life to help a nerdy woman find her inner goddess. Pea Chamberlain needs a makeover-shoes, hair, clothes, make-up-if she wants to attract an übersexy fireman. And who could better coax Pea out of her pod than the Goddess of Love, whom she invokes in a moment of desperation? Venus works her magic on Pea, but who will help her when she falls for that same sexy fireman? Could Venus need a love makeover for herself? Check out the five-alarm heat when the Goddess of Love unexpectedly loses her heart. Goddess of Love is the fifth book in the goddess summoning series and is my least favourite thus far. This is the first book where we are simultaneously seeing two couples develop into a full blown soul connection. I'm not sure if there was as much attention to detail given to this particular book but I found it really lacking and a lot of the character development didn't make sense to me at l...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: When modern-day Mikki ends up in the strange Realm of the Rose, Hecate has been waiting for her. So too has her gorgeous guardian beast, who soon has Mikki swooning. But to save the realm, Mikki will have to sacrifice her life-giving blood. This is the fourth installment of Cast's Goddess Summoning series and I absolutely loved it! This story had a few different references from Mythology and from a well known story. We had a mix of Beauty and the Beast mixed in with the story of the Minotaur from the Island of Crete. The way Cast interwove everything was definitely different and not something I have read so far. Even when 'the beast' or aka Asterius was retelling how he came to be it was totally different to how we know the story of the Minotaur to be. There have been many renditions of the Minotaur but none that have depicted Cronus as being his father. More so, most renditions depict him as having the body of a man and the...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: Vampire musician Michael Glass has attracted the attention of a big- time producer who wants to cut a demo and play some gigs-which means Michael will have to enter the human world. For this, he's been assigned escorts that include both a dangerous immortal as well as Michael's all-too-human friends. And with that mix of personalities, this is going to be a road trip from hell... When I first started reading this book, I had a sinking feeling and was asking myself if a ghost writer wrote it? The first couple chapters were written completely different to how Caine has written all her previous books in the series. Even the short stories had the same writing style to them. It's hard to pin point exactly what was different but the whole feel of those chapters felt like it was someone who read the previous books and were writing the characters how they thought they would be written. Think of fanfiction writing. It's not quite...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: This short story dates back to the period shortly after Michael turns vampire, and Shane’s still deeply uncomfortable about it. He’s also still picking fights to work off his rage, which never really helps him. Warning: there’s drinking. And confessions. And secret missions with night vision. Bonus Bishop, and scary battles. Michael and Shane, being heroes together. Which seems about right. Another great short story! One of the oldest friendships (human friendship) is Shane and Michael. And it was nice having a story of them together, especially, after Michael turning into a vampire their relationship has been strained. Shane hasn't been holding back when it comes to jabbing at Michael about the whole vampire thing but at the end of the day he will have Michael's back and protect him, and vice versa.  I loved the perspective being from Shane's point of view for this story. Claire has had thoughts and feelings of doubt when i...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: Without the evil vampire Bishop ruling over the town of Morganville, the resident vampires have made major concessions to the human population. With their newfound freedoms, Claire Danvers and her friends are almost starting to feel comfortable again…Now Claire can actually concentrate on her studies, and her friend Eve joins the local theatre company. But when one of Eve’s castmates goes missing after starting work on a short documentary, Eve suspects the worst. Claire and Eve soon realize that this film project, whose subject is the vampires themselves, is a whole lot bigger—and way more dangerous—than anyone suspected. Another fantastic book in this wonderful series that keeps on giving. The previous one we finally got the big bad Bishop killed and brought back some normalcy in Morganville. So typically, once you kill the big antagonist, it's hard to keep a story going, however, I'm so happy to say this wasn't the case. I...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: Tired of dating egomaniacs, interior designer Pamela Gray has nearly given up. She wants to be treated like a goddess—preferably by a god. As she whispers her wish, she unwittingly invokes the goddess Artemis, who has some tricks up her celestial sleeve…Twins Artemis and Apollo have been sent to the kingdom of Las Vegas to test their mettle. Their first assignment: make Pamela’s wish come true. So Artemis volunteers her golden brother. After all, who better than the handsome God of Light to bring love to this lonely woman? It might be a first, but here in Sin City, where life is a gamble, both god and mortal are about to bet on a high-stakes game of love.. For the third installment of the series, it focuses on Apollo and his journey in falling in love with a human. It's nice that for this book we have recurring characters from the previous one, especially, Apollo since he was known as being a lover of the flesh, never to have fallen...

***This review will contain spoilers*** Could I have lived without reading this short story? Yes, it didn't add anything to the main story. And beyond that I'm not a fan of baseball nor do I really know much about the game. I do find it ridiculous that Hamilton will write about anything and everything but putting together a good story line? Clearly, too much work and effort needed.  This short story was just a couple of pages long and quite frankly was less annoying than the last few books I have read from her. This short story was actually decent, especially, since none of her boy toys were involved and I didn't have to put up with Anita's atrocious sex life. If anything it reminded me a little of old school Blake just raising zombies. Exactly, how we were first introduced to her dozens of books earlier. I truly wish that Hamilton would go back to that type of writing and story telling but I know better than that.  Overall, it was okay but you could forgo reading this ...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: Lina's trendy bakery in Tulsa is proving to be less than lucrative, and she must come up with a plan. When she stumbles upon an Italian Goddess cookbook, Lina can't help but think she's found the answer to her problem—even if it means invoking a goddess to save her business. Soon enough, Lina finds herself face-to-face with Demeter, who has a plan of her own. She proposes that Lina exchange souls with Persephone, the Goddess of Spring, who will breathe new life into the bakery. In return, Lina must set order to the Underworld. Before all this, Lina's problems mostly involved sourdough and second dates. Now that she embodies the enchanting Persephone, Lina has weightier things on her mind—like the formidable task of bringing Spring to a world of spirits. But when the handsome, brooding Hades kindles a spark in her heart, Lina wonders if this Lord of the Underworld might be the man of her dreams. I absolutely loved reading...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: Normal life in Morganville. As far as normal ever was, Shane Collins thought; nobody was overtly rioting, getting arrested, or killing anyone. Not on the street, anyway. One of the hard-to-find exclusive stories written specifically for the UK editions (which at the time were being published a month or two after the US releases, meaning that die-hard fans rushed to buy internationally) … it was offered as an extra to help the UK publisher convince fans there to wait for the local edition, and it seems to have worked! I love these little short stories. Especially, when it is from a different character's perspective. We don't often get to see much from Shane by himself so I'm happy this short story exists. He has truly grown and changed for the better so far in the series and it truly shows in this story.  Aside from Claire, Shane is the only one in the house who doesn't have a car. For most it doesn't seem much but wh...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: In the small college town of Morganville, vampires and humans lived in (relative) peace-until all the rules got rewritten when the evil vampire Bishop arrived, looking for the lost book of vampire secrets. He's kept a death grip on the town ever since. Now an underground resistance is brewing, and in order to contain it, Bishop must go to even greater lengths. He vows to obliterate the town and all its inhabitants-the living and the undead. Claire Danvers and her friends are the only ones who stand in his way. But even if they defeat Bishop, will the vampires ever be content to go back to the old rules, after having such a taste of power? Another fantastic book in the Morganville series! I seem to be a broken record but damn it I’ll say it again. I am beyond impressed by how much Caine is able to include in a book with only a couple hundred pages. I’ve wasted my time on reading books with triple the amount of pages and maybe with 5%...

***This review will contain spoilers***  Summary: This story came about just because I wanted to know more about Myrnin for my own understanding of his character, and sometimes, the best way to achieve that is to write a character’s history from his/her point of view. The character tells me what’s important, and what changed, for better or worse. Discovering that Myrnin’s father had some type of mental disorder was important to me, because of course when he was born, such things weren’t really understood. When I was working on the draft of the first book in which Myrnin appeared, my co-worker who read it said, ‘Oh, you’ve written a bipolar character, and he’s actually really cool! Did you know that I take medication for that?’ She went on to relate all the ways he was familiar to her. I was amazed, and honoured. I won’t name the co-worker, for privacy, but I say now, as then: thank you for sharing your story with me, and you know who you are. I hope Myrnin continues to make you pro...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: In the college town of Morganville, vampires and humans coexist in (relatively) bloodless harmony. Then comes Bishop, the master vampire who threatens to abolish all order, revive the forces of the evil dead, and let chaos rule. But Bishop isn't the only threat. Violent black cyclone clouds hover, promising a storm of devastating proportions as student Claire Danvers and her friends prepare to defend Morganville against elements both natural and unnatural. I have said it in the past and I shall say it again. I am beyond impressed how much Caine is able to include in just a couple hundred pages. I have read books with 700+ pages and have just a fraction of action or plot in comparison to the Morganville books.  Lord of Misrule is slightly different in comparison to the previous books where they were structured this one is more chaotic and erratic. Which absolutely makes sense. There's an outright war in Morganville, humans are h...

***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: Living in West Texas is sort of like living in Hell, but without the favorable climate and charming people. Living in Morganville, Texas, is all that and a takeout bag of worse. I should know. My name is Shane Collins, and I was born here, left here, came back here—none of which I had much choice about. Another great short story from Caine! It was nice to have the point of view of a different character than Claire. Shane plays a huge part in the series but we have rarely seen a emotional side to him thus far. I love when authors write short stories because it adds a different level of intimacy with a character that we might not have experienced otherwise through the series. Zombies in Morganville? I guess with vampires around it wouldn't be surprising that a different type of undead would be around and of course creating havoc in Shane Collins life. And of course who else would be behind Shane's abduction than daddy dearest. Shan...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: In the town of Morganville, vampires and humans live in relative peace. Student Claire Danvers has never been convinced, though, especially with the arrival of Mr. Bishop, an ancient, old-school vampire who cares nothing about harmony. What he wants from the town's living and its dead is unthinkably sinister. It's only at a formal ball, attended by vampires and their human dates, that Claire realizes the elaborately evil trap he's set for Morganville. I love how much Caine is able to pack in a book of just a couple hundred pages. It's like non stop organized chaos. There's a war brewing with Bishop in town and all these motherfuckers are playing chess while most of the humans in town are unsure of what is even happening. Another reason why I love Claire is that no matter how outnumbered or outpowered she is, she is still going to stand up for what's right and hold her ground. Granted she might not hold it for lon...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: When Claire Danvers learnt that her college town was run by vampires, she did what any intelligent, self-preserving student would do: she applied for a transfer and stocked up on garlic. The transfer is no longer an option, but that garlic may come in handy. Now Claire has pledged herself to Amelie, the most powerful vampire in town. The protection her contract secures does little to reassure her friends. All of a sudden, people are turning up dead, a stalker resurfaces from Claire's past, and an ancient bloodsucker extends a chilling invitation for private lessons in his secluded home. Another great book! Just when I think the story will start to die down, Caine just suckers me right back in. I love that the books start right where the previous one left off, so you can finish one and pick up the next one to continue on with the journey. The fact that Caine is able to fit so much in just a couple hundred pages shows the talent she h...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary:  This story details events discussed in The Dead Girls’ Dance about the death of Shane’s sister Alyssa. Here, in its entirety, is the story of that night told mainly from Shane’s point of view. Another great short story by Rachel Caine! The first two books briefly mentioned Shane's sister; Alyssa and her tragic demise but it was nice to get a different perspective on the Morganville residents prior to Claire's attendance. Of course, Michael and Shane are the best of buds and we had a insight to the dynamics of Shane's family. Mother is absent working to keep the family afloat, the father is a drunk drowning in his sorrows which if you asked me being drunk would be the last thing I would want to do in a town full of vampires. Finally, we have baby sister Alyssa and big brother Shane. Both have the usual sibling dynamic and Shane being the older brother took up that mantle quite easily.  A bitch is a bitch and unfortunately ...

 Summary: A brief vignette to understand Amelie's and Oliver's relationship. This was written very early on, between Glass Houses and The Dead Girls’ Dance... This really was a short story of maybe 4 to 5 pages. I wish it would have been longer since I find Amelie from what little has been introduced about her in the first two books quite interesting. We don't know much about her. We don't know how old she is, how she came to become a vampire or why Morganville is so important to her. Out of all the places to choose to reside in, the United States wouldn't be my first choice. Especially, as a vampire.  Amelie doesn't seem to like Oliver either but yet she allows him some leeway. I do wish to see these two go head to head which seems to be coming up soon in the series seeing as how in The Dead Girls' Dance he was plotting with Shane's dad to get rid of Amelie. I know Amelie doesn't take kindly to disrespect and I hope she puts Oliver in his place.  Fr...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: Claire Danvers has her share of challenges---like being a genius in a school that favors beauty over brains, dealing with the homicidal girls in her dorm, and above all, finding out that her college town is overrun with vampires. On the up side, she has a great roommate (who tends to disappear at sunup) and a new boyfriend named Shane, whose vampire-hunting dad has called in backup: cycle punks who like the idea of killing just about anything. Now a fraternity is throwing its annual Dead Girls' Dance and---surprise!---Claire and her equally outcast best friend, Eve, have been invited. When they find out why, all hell is going to break loose. Because this time both the living and the dead are coming out---and everybody's hungry for blood. I just need to start off by saying how amazing this book was! We have murder, action, teen angst and a whole lot of vampires. Despite it being the second book in the series, we weren't overw...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation. When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life, but they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood. Will she be able to face the town's terror or will she drown like everyone else? This is exactly what I needed right now in my life! I have read books from this series at least over a decade ago at this point and I remember loving them back then. I have been in such a reading funk these past few years trying/soldiering through Hamilton's Anita Blake series that I'm making a shift for the remainder of this year and I am happy to say this decision is already proving to be the best one. I ended up reading Glass Houses  within 4 days. Granted this book has less than 300 pages but wi...

 ***This review will contain spoilers*** Summary: Anita has never seen Damian, her vampire servant, in such a state. The rising sun doesn’t usher in the peaceful death that he desperately needs. Instead, he’s being bombarded with violent nightmares and blood sweats. And now, with Damian at his most vulnerable, Anita needs him the most. The vampire who created him, who subjected him to centuries of torture, might be losing control, allowing rogue vampires to run wild and break one of their kind’s few strict taboos. Some say love is a great motivator, but hatred gets the job done, too. And when Anita joins forces with her friend Edward to stop the carnage, Damian will be at their side, even if it means traveling back to the land where all his nightmares spring from...a place that couldn’t be less welcoming to a vampire, an assassin, and a necromancer. Well...this isn't Hamilton's worst book ever. But it definitely leaves a lot to be desired. At least she had some type of plot goi...