Esperanza by Trish J. MacGregor (Hungry Ghosts #1) Tor Books (Sept 2010) Hardback, 336 pages Urban Fantasy Esperanza by Trish J. MacGregor takes fantasy to new heights with a thriller that will leave you cowering behind a cushion with all your curtains closed, praying the fog can’t get in… Those of you with a knowledge of Spanish will know that Esperanza means ‘hope’, but this novel strips hope away in the town of Esperanza, Ecuador. It very much takes advantage of the American perspective of Latin America as a mystical…

Bittersweet by Brooke Moss Entangled Publishing (Apr 2012) Ebook, 95 pages Contemporary Romance Having loved Brooke Moss’s novel, Keeping Secrets in Seattle, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from her short novella, Bittersweet. Expectations were high and, although it didn’t quite live up to my previous experience, it was still a sweet romance to indulge in. The book begins with Anna and her eight-year-old autistic son, Bowen, at one of their weekly sessions with therapist, Gianna. Bowen has sensory issues, and struggles with the idea of touching or walking…

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons (Article 5 #1) Tor Teen (Jan 2012) Hardback, 364 pages Dystopian YA There may be a multitude of dystopian fiction out there at the moment, but Kristen Simmons’ Article 5 is a game changer, and provokes a whole host of thoughts about what could happen in the world in the wake of a war and a change of government. We begin with an introduction to seventeen-year-old Ember Miller and her mother, a family struggling to cope in the aftermath of ‘the war’, although we are…

The Search by Nora Roberts Piatkus (July 2010) Paperback, 490 pages Romantic Suspense Having never read anything by Nora Roberts, The Search took me by surprise as I was expecting a contemporary romance and hadn’t anticipated the gritty extent of the crime plot. It begins with an introduction to Fiona Bristow, our heroine, who is out on a search and rescue mission with one of her Labradors. She has three of the dogs, all of which are trained for S&R, and she is devoted to training her dogs and running…

Keeping Secrets in Seattle by Brooke Moss Entangled Publishing (Feb 2013) Ebook, 204 pages Contemporary Romance Every so often a book comes along that completely grabs you and won’t let go until you’ve devoured every last page. For me, one such book was Keeping Secrets in Seattle by Brooke Moss. The book has a fairly simple premise which we’ve all seen several times before: out of two best friends who have known each other years, one has romantic feelings for the other. In this case, the friends are Violet Murphy…

The Season of Passage by Christopher Pike Tor Books (March 2011, first pub. 1992) Paperback, 400 pages Science Fiction | Horror The Season of Passage by Christopher Pike takes sci-fi, horror, a pinch of dystopian and thriller and throws them all together in this rollercoaster ride of a novel. On the surface the book has a somewhat simple plotline: a trip to Mars gone wrong. However, there is more than meets the eye as the problems begin before the rocket even leaves Earth. Dr. Lauren Wagner is due to depart for Mars,…

King of the Dead by Joseph Nassise (Jeremiah Hunt #2) Tor (Nov 2012) Hardback, 352 pages Urban Fantasy King of the Dead by Joseph Nassise picks up where Eyes to See left off, with Jeremiah, Dmitri and Denise on the run from the FBI and wanted for serial murder. Wrongly accused of being serial killer The Reaper from book one, Jeremiah and his friends flee across America in a desperate attempt to outrun the FBI taskforce that has proclaimed Hunt as their number one most wanted. Lying low in motel rooms…

Silent Witness by Shirley Wells (A Dylan Scott Mystery #3) Carina Press (March 2012) Ebook, 287 pages Mystery Silent Witness by Shirley Wells takes place around eight months after the events of Dead Silent, with Dylan being called back to the dreary Lancashire town of Dawson’s Clough once again. This time he has the impossible task of proving a man’s innocence, or even his guilt, after a jury found him guilty of murder. Carly Walsingham was found dead in a bath of her own blood with her carotid artery severed, and all the…

Dead Silent (A Dylan Scott Mystery #2) by Shirley Wells | Carina Press (Aug 2011) Ebook, 254 pages | Mystery Dead Silent by Shirley Wells is the follow-up to Presumed Dead, in which Dylan Scott finds himself called back to the Lancashire town of Dawson’s Clough – a place he never thought he’d see again. This time the private investigator has been called upon to solve another disappearance case, that of Samantha Hunt. Sam was a bright and bubbly young woman with her whole life ahead of her, until she failed to…

The Shadowed Sun (Dreamblood #2) by N. K. Jemisin Orbit Books (June 2012) | Paperback, 528 pages | Fantasy Set ten years after the events of The Killing Moon, The Shadowed Sun returns us to the kingdom of Gujaareh, which is being ruled by the Kisuati. I found it difficult to get into the book at the outset as it felt like there were several narrative threads coming together, but the main focus is on Sharer-Apprentice of the Hetawa, Hanani. She is the first ever female apprentice in the Hetawa, choosing to follow…

Leaving Poppy by Kate Cann Scholastic (Oct 2012) | Paperback, 364 pages YA Thriller | Horror Leaving Poppy by Kate Cann is one of those rare instances when a young adult novel doesn’t feel like other novels in its genre. It grabs you like a claw and won’t let go until you’ve devoured every page, and the plot takes you into the realm of thoughts which are often better left unsaid. It all begins with our heroine, Amber, who is desperate to escape the smothering clutches of her half-sister Poppy…

Double Enchantment (Relics of Merlin #2) by Kathryne Kennedy | Ebook, 352 pages Sourcebooks Casablanca (March 2013) Fantasy Romance Double Enchantment by Kathryne Kennedy is the second in the Relics of Merlin series, but is not related in any way to book one, and so could be read as a standalone. All that remains the same is the historical-based world in which the novel is set, of the magical nobility and shape-shifting baronets. As with historical fiction there are instances of extravagant balls and descriptions of various gowns, although this is not the…

The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group by Catherine Jinks Quercus (Feb 2011) | Paperback, 397 pages Paranormal YA The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group by Catherine Jinks is a novel that aims to put a fresh twist on werewolf fantasy, taking place in Australia. Our story begins with Toby Vandevelde, a teenager who wakes up in hospital with no memory of what happened to him the night before. It seems that he was found naked in the dingo pen of the local wildlife park, which soon becomes a local news story. His mother is worried…

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine #1) by Ransom Riggs Quirk Books (2011) | Paperback, 348 pages | YA Fantasy Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs is a young adult supernatural horror story that cleverly incorporates the use of vintage photographs into its pages. The story begins with sixteen-year-old Jacob Portman and the stories his grandpa used to tell him as a child. These stories are fantastic fairytales about the orphanage he grew up in during the Second World War, featuring children with strange abilities, such as…

REBECCA’S BLOGIVERSARY As of the end of last month (February), I have officially been working as a reviewer for Book Chick City for a whole year! It has flown by so quickly and I’d like to say a massive thank-you to Carolyn for taking me on. I’m really enjoying being a part of the site and I’m looking forward to this next year just as much! To celebrate my blogiversary I thought I’d share with you all my top five highlights of working for the site. 1. My Very First…