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ELECTRIC EMPIRE BY VIOLA CARR

30/9/2015

56 Comments

 
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Magic, mystery, and romance mix in this edgy retelling of the classic The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-in which Dr. Eliza Jekyll is the daughter of the infamous Henry

In an electric-powered Victorian London, Dr. Eliza Jekyll is a crime scene investigator, hunting killers with inventive new technological gadgets. Now, a new killer is splattering London with blood, drugging beautiful women and slicing off their limbs. Catching "the Chopper" could make Eliza's career--or get her burned. Because Eliza has a dark secret. A seductive second self, set free by her father's forbidden magical elixir: wild, impulsive Lizzie Hyde.

When the Royal Society sends their enforcer, the mercurial Captain Lafayette, to prove she's a sorceress, Eliza must resist the elixir with all her power. But as the Chopper case draws her into London's luminous, magical underworld, Eliza will need all the help she can get. Even if it means getting close to Lafayette, who harbors an evil curse of his own.

Even if it means risking everything and setting vengeful Lizzie free . . .

I was fortunate enough to receive a signed copy of this dark and perplexing novel and I’m so glad I did! This novel is a new personal favourite of mine, and I cannot wait until the second novel The Devious Dr. Jekyll as part of the Electric Empire series is released this coming October. The cover is breathtaking and has completely wooed me, as it is the best cover I have seen all year! This novel has definitely compelled me to read a lot more steampunk and mystery novels, so don’t be surprised if I get my hands on some in the near future.

I love how The Diabolical Miss Hyde is not just a retelling of the well-known story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but instead is the extension story of his daughter Dr. Eliza Jekyll and her dark side Miss Lizzie Hyde.

Now an orphaned woman, Dr. Eliza Jekyll takes after her father: the infamous Dr. Jekyll. Eliza is a crime scene investigator and a doctor who works at the insane asylum Bethlam. With two new murder scenes, Elisa must expose the anonymous murderer known as the ‘Chopper’ (who cuts the limbs off his victims) before he kills his next target.  

Things start to get complicated when the Royal’s Captain Lafayette is oddly positioned to work alongside Dr. Eliza with her murder case. Unsure whether to trust him, both Elisa and Lizzie suspect he’s hiding something and could potentially become a danger to them both. But Lafayette is not the only one hiding deep secrets… With a single drop of elixir, there’s no knowing just what Elisa’s impulsive shadow façade Lizzie Hyde might do once she’s freed from her slumber.

I found it extremely intriguing that Viola Carr chose to alternate her writing from 1st person to 3rd person as she wrote from both Eliza and Lizzie’s perspective. She does an incredible job at keeping both their characters separate from one another. Eliza is the smart shortsighted girl with her opticals and resourceful gadgets, whilst Lizzie is the wild and adventurous shadow persona that is uncontrollable. Though Lizzie may be extremely strong willed and brave, she is still afraid that Eliza wishes for nothing more than to get rid of her. I also loved how throughout the novel, they consistently helped one another out, even without the other one’s acknowledgement at times.

This novel was fast past and unpredictable as it had you second-guessing just who this ‘mysterious’ murderer might be. Viola Carr also cleverly weaves other potential murderers artfully. The plot is well built with remarkable new characters that you can’t help but want to grasp just what was going on inside that head of theirs. I hope to one-day see this novel be produced into a film, as I believe it would work wonderfully.
***I received a personalised signed copy of this book in return***
***for an honest and unbiased review***

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Viola Carr was born in a strange and distant land, but wandered into darkest London one foggy October evening and never found her way out. She now devours countless history books and dictates fantastical novels by gaslight, accompanied by classical music and the snoring of her slumbering cat.

Viola also writes urban fantasy adventure and dark paranormal romance under a pseudonym known as
Erica Hayes.


Electric Empire by Viola Carr:
BOOK 1: The Diabolical Miss Hyde

BOOK 2: The Devious Dr. Jekyll
56 Comments

A TITAN NOVEL BY JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT

15/9/2015

55 Comments

 
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The Fates are cackling their bony asses off…

It’s been a year since Seth made the deal with the gods that pledged his life to them. And so far, the jobs they’ve given him have been violent and bloody–which is kind of all right with him. But now Apollo has something else in mind for Seth. He’s got to play protector while keeping his hands and fingers off, and for someone who really has a problem with restraint, this new assignment might be the most challenging yet.

Josie has no idea what this crazy hot guy’s deal might be, but it’s a good bet that his arrival means the new life she started after leaving home is about to be thrown into an Olympian-sized blender turned up to puree. Either Josie is going insane or a nightmare straight out of ancient myth is gunning for her.

But it might be the unlikely attraction simmering between her and the golden-eyed, secret-keeping Seth that may prove to be the most dangerous thing of all.

Because history has once again been flipped to repeat.

Book 1 in the new adult paranormal TITAN series, spin-off to the best selling COVENANT series.

I may not have been a Seth fan right from the start during the Covenant series, but I sure love him right now in this new spin off series Titans. I’m overjoyed that Jennifer L. Armentrout decided to write a new spin off series with Seth as the main protagonist after he redeemed himself.

The story takes place one year after the Covenant series. I found it wasn’t necessary to have read the Covenant series beforehand to understand what was happening, though I highly suggest reading the Covenant series first to get a better grip of what exactly happened in the past that lead up to point in The Return.

Seth and me sure as hell didn’t hit off on the right foot. I never liked his cocky arrogance and his slap-able characteristics. Finally I get to see the side of him that was meant to be: if he hadn’t been under Lucian’s fatherly spell. At first I hadn’t really noticed that much of a different in him but as I continued to read along I saw how much his past actions affected him and how he hates himself for what he did. He strongly believes that he deserves what’s coming for him, but so much worse.

Then there was newest edition to the series. Josie. I mean she’s a demigod. What’s not to like? Plus she’s Apollo’s daughter, which is a bonus.

I loved all those Sethie and Joe moments that hit off right from the start. They were absolutely perfect. After all, despite all Seth’s previous mistakes, he was still a good guy and deserved to be with someone who would make him happy. I also immensely enjoyed how the novel is written from both their perspectives, giving us an ideal inside of their heads. It made it easier to connect with both characters and sweep you into their world. I loved their chemistry together and how their relationship progressed throughout the entire novel. How Josie was able to tear down those walls and make Seth whole again. I’m so happy that Seth has finally found his salvation.

My only problem with this entire novel is that I at times felt like Seth’s and Josie’s story was a bit of a rewrite of Alex and Aiden’s love story all over again. There you had Seth believing he didn’t deserve Josie, just like Aiden had, and then you also had Josie having quite a few of Alex’s characteristics such has her temper. But that could be explained due to them both being Apollo’s lineage…  I’m sure that as the series progresses, their love story will become their own.

Also a couple of the other characters such as Luke and Deacon from the Covenant Series made an appearance. Unfortunately Aiden and Alex did not, but they were mentioned on more then one occasion. Hopefully we’ll get to see them in the sequel The Power.

Overall, I loved this new spin-off series and cannot wait until the entire trilogy is released!  

Titan by Jennifer L. Armentrout:
BOOK 1: The Return
BOOK 2: The Power
BOOK 3: Untitled
55 Comments

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