4 Stars
I'm never going back and you can't make me.Whoever started that ridiculous idea that late adolescence is the best years of your life needs to be flagellated. Severely. Needless to say, this is a time machine special so that the reader can recall the crappy anxiety about themselves, their life, and EVERYTHING else. Nick Stahlnecker, recent graduate is enjoying the last summer before college--or trying to. His dad has ideas about how he needs to straighten up and fly right. Get a job. In fact, he manages to get one for him. Nick's not invested in this job, but it does have one perk. Jai Hazenbrook.He's the eye candy of Grover Construction, and he's got a fanbase. Okay, might only be a couple people, but whatever. Needless to say, Nick is spellbound. Nick is also an extremely determined young man when something's in his target range.Sometimes things are a bad idea and you do them anyway. Even after advice to the contrary.Even knowing it, you do it.*facepalm*Nick's Score: 10 for Effort, 3 for Execution. Nick is brazen and unrepentant. Half the time I was embarrassed for him. And at others, yeah... no. Porta potty--no fucking way! EEEEEWWWW!And then there's things I have fundamental ideological differences with... pineapple does NOT belong on a pizza. And “Meatlovers with anchovies and pineapple.”This is not a pizza.Thing is, Nick has ideological differences with his parents, but being mellow he's been herded by his parents into a series of decisions that don't suit him. He's gotta figure a way to sort that out while working out exactly what's happening with Jai.The characters are disturbingly realistic, and the situations while veering towards absurdity skate the edge and highlight the hyperbolic ridiculousness of being eighteen, a kid and adult at the same time. I laughed and groaned and totally got my utils ($$$) from the purchase. Favorite quote:
Jai’s not sure what worries him most: the fact he’s already noticing the things Nick would love, or that he’s apparently hooking up with the teenage-boy version of his mom.
Overall:
3 Stars
This story is more pagan exploration than romance. That said, there were some lovely erotic scenes. I have a familiarity with most of the concepts discussed, albeit at a lower level. Trust me, you've been around long enough and you've heard a variant of this at least once, usually satanists.
He’s the type that tells a pair of Jehovah’s Witnesses he can’t talk right now, he has a virgin sacrifice on the altar.”
I wouldn't categorize it as proselytizing, but the focus of the story is Lars as a practitioner and how his life fits into it. The dream walking/astral traveling sequences were great, and the details are vivid. I was expecting more romance and action--this is a very self-restrained plot. Additionally, I was caught off guard by the emotionally darker tone; it wasn't alluded to in the blurb and I had hoped for something lighter. Prior to reading the book I had shelved this as paranormal, it isn't. This is witchcraft as faith, not Harry Potter.
3 Stars
Dedicated to Vin Vanbly: F**kin' Perfect by P!nk And anyone else who's seen themselves in his mirror.
“I wanted you to see me like this. My worst. See if you’d still like me.”
Here's the thing; I love this series, but I did not love this book. Might be that I had high expectations: wishing, hoping, and waiting for Vin's story. His kinging.The secrets are finally revealed and the truth behind many things alluded to during the series is laid out. There's ugly here, there's cruelty, and I had a hard time watching how hard earned Vin's compassion was.
I have no future because every string is wrapped so tightly around the past.
As much as I enjoyed this story, I had some issues with it. The disjointed structure was problematic. Three separate stories instead of a cohesive whole was not kinging that I was expecting. One story completely disrupted the timeline and served little purpose in advancing the story and could have been a short separate novella. The covenant of being the insider with Vin during these stories is broken, and it's hard being on the outside wondering what's happening. If Manning was testing the reader to trust him, then I failed twice during this story. That fundamental change to the storytelling was disconcerting. Enough that I walked away from the book for a period of time.
This is the story of a nobody. Someone who probably shouldn’t even be alive.
There is a graphic quality to the erotic scenes that was not present in previous books, and if I'd never read another book in the series I wouldn't have blinked twice, but this was radically different. It is still that celebration for the human form and ability to feel in all its manifestations, but more explicit. Since Vin uses sexual congress as a form of connection, communication, and validation it shouldn't have been a surprise that his story would explore these themes more. 
He said, “Not knowing someone’s king name doesn’t prevent them from being a king. A name doesn’t define you or make you something you’re not. Your king name is true, but not the truth.”
I love Vin; I just wish the story had been constructed differently. My recommendation for readers unfamiliar with Vin, do NOT start with this book because I don't think it will give one a sense of the series. Overall, a MUST READ for Vin fans.
3.5 Stars
Another day, another opportunity to get that coveted job. 
Nelson's half-heartedly attending a potential interviewees' spiel for Canaan, playing the reindeer games, and not giving too many f#@ks when suddenly, things head south fast. In the scramble to escape the conference room he's teamed up with others. There's the chick (Marianne), the sleazy sales guy (Randy), and the present object of Nelson's infatuation, Javier. In the dash to safety, they pool resources and end up with Tim, the likable if awkward getaway driver. An isolated incident turns into a citywide disaster zone as they travel across NYC.There's cover ups and exposés: 
And some old fashion use of unstructured time without distractions, except maybe the ones they make for themselves, a smoking hot menage with a sprinkle of kink. But sharing bodies doesn't mean sharing everything else. Tim, Javier, and Nelson are pushed closer while being put through the taffy pull. Entertaining, and the sex was scorching hot. The rest of it was a bit of a swirl and the whole mark issue wasn't explained completely, but if you're looking for a fast-paced read with some intrigue, sex, and a touch of gore then this might just suit. 3.5 stars.Overall, conspiracist suspense.
4 Stars
Forlorn and melancholic.A summer of adventure at a pleasure park in North Carolina as Devin Jones earns money for college. Except, it turns out to be that pivotal moment when he shifts from childhood innocence to adult. Heartbroken and adrift, he finds a home among the rabble of Joyland regulars who see him as one of their own.All places with enough invested develop a soul, legends that surround it. Dev becomes obsessed with the ghost of Linda Gray; victim of a gruesome crime and dumped in the park. Dev tells the story of the mystery, the culture of Joyland, of friendships made, and those things lost.
All I can say is what you already know: some days are treasure. Not many, but I think in almost every life there are a few.
I haven't read King in over a decade, so I was a little surprised by how emotional and depressed this was. It makes sense that writers change and grow, reflecting their lives, but it was unexpected. In many ways, this was far more satisfying than the macabre spectacle that I was anticipating. Who the heck cries reading Stephen King?Me, apparently. Anyway, I liked this immensely. Reading it at the end of summer, filled with that impending nostalgia made it better. The rating probably reflects a bit of my surprise in the trajectory of the story, but I'm happy I bought it and even happier that it wasn't what I thought I'd purchased. Favorite lines:
Mike turned to me. “Now I know what my kite feels like,” he said.
So did I."
4 Stars
They don’t seem to thrive away from the sea, and if they do leave, they always return.
This is a classic Mer tale. The hubris of youth that infallible superhero feeling that you can surpass anything until you can't. 
Priddy is left behind as his best mate goes to university, still suffering consequences from misjudged youth. That's Priddy's fate. His backstory is sad and unfortunately not uncommon. Merou is the half-drowned man Priddy pulls from the sea when disaster strikes the rough-hewn cliffs of Cornwall in the rugged West Country. From that moment, time is being rewritten as Priddy's life changes. Fox's descriptives are a key draw for me, and they don't disappoint. While I am usually keen on the palpable renderings of the setting that was not the focus. Sure the waters are lovingly drawn, but the spotlight is on Merouac, of Mer anatomy itself. He reads like a heroic nude from antiquity, quite beautifully done.
Merouac chuckled. “If you like. Pretty and merry— won’t we make a pair?” Closing his eyes, he pulled the bedclothes up to his chest, and Priddy must have imagined the webs between his fingers— there was nothing there now but a glimmer, like fine-ground fish-scale dust.
But it is not all smooth waters and lilting songs on the air, for a nemesis lurks threatening everything. I love the ocean, I could read pages of nothing but sea spray, wind shifts, wave and current patterns and be happy, add in Fox's writing style and this was a big win.This isn't a grand romance. It's loving and thoughtful and sexy, but more finding that puzzle piece that's been missing than a overwhelming courtship. Overall, love and the sea, and how both are catalysts of change.
4 Stars
I’d come so damned far from the battered, mewling meat puppet he’d made me into, and I wasn’t going to let his monsters drag me back down into that existence.
Indiana Jones of the Fae with a decidedly post-apocalyptic flavor.
Technically, it's post Merger. Wherein Underhill, the Fae homeworld, collided with the Human one. The battle to redraw lines resulted in enormous losses on both sides and now they live side by side, but not without incidents. Postwar, life is about recovering and new species wander the changed landscape while animals roam where they didn't before.
Kai Gracen is a chimera, born of blood magic, and a literal creation of his father Tanic, a Hunt Master, a flesh-shaper. More secrets of his origin are revealed and the ties between Kai and Ryder tighten. Kai is a Stalker, which is somewhere between a bounty and treasure hunter. Stalkers aren't known for their long lifespans, of course being not human has advantages that his sometimes partners don't.
“You tell them I went out kicking ass, and you get drunk with them,” she murmured, patting my hand. “Because that’s what’s Stalkers do. Even if you’ve watched them grow up, Kai, it’s what we do when one of us falls. You bring me home, let Mama dress me in something pretty, and drink yourself sick while what’s left of me is on the pyre. Just like I would do for you.”
Ryder, sidhe lord and all-around albatross Kai deals with. Of course he's ridiculously hot--he's fae--and well-mannered, cultured, educated, and optimally not suited to Stalker life or the tasks they undertake. Guess who's nose is stuck right up in Kai's business?
This is the second book in the series, and there's some previous history between Ryder and Kai, but not having read the first wasn't a problem. The details of what occurred are relayed enough that one has no problem understanding the issues and feeling the growing UST.
This is an action adventure story with a small slice of romance that's more snark than kisses and sighs, that said, it was fun. Between the mystery, archeological element, the vicious fauna encountered, and an antagonist who has no boundaries when it comes to winning--there's some decent violence.
DRAGON!
Not a main character in this story, but there's a few here that add that certain flair. Two thumbs up for the dragons. Danger is everywhere as a cynic and an idealist go in search of fae secrets.
Overall, adventure with blood, sass, and a sprinkle of heart.
