Caragh Reviews // Midnight Bites by Rachel Caine (Spoilers for MV!)

Published - 1st March 2016
Publisher - Allison & Busby
Format - Paperback
Synopsis - MIDNIGHT BITES includes a total of more than 50,000 words of brand new content, which makes me very happy indeed (and I hope will also make you happy, too). From stories featuring our favorite bunny-slipper-wearing mad scientist to a mystery solved by police chief Hannah Moses, I think you'll find this is a diverse group of stories that will shine a little more light in the murkiest corners of Morganville.

Oh my gooooooooood! There are literally no words to describe how excited I was when I heard that there was going to be a collection of Morganville short stories. Morganville has been such a significant part of my life over the last *insert number* of years and I found it really hard to come to terms with it being over. BUT! My prayers were answered, at least for now. Please be aware that this review will contain spoilers for the main book series.

The majority of the stories in Midnight Bites happen simultaneously with the storylines in the MV series. Being a UK reader and a little bit of a stalker, I had actually read quite a few of them before in various places. You really do get your moneys worth with the new stories though.

Some of them take place after the events of the main series. Yep, that's right. It was SO incredibly weird reading Shane refer to Claire as his wife. I mean, of course I knew it happened but if nothing else it just makes me extremely aware that even my book friends are settling down way before i'm ready to! Haha ;)

Another of my fave things about this book, also comes with downsides. I loved the 2 stories that were in direct relation to the death of Alyssa. One came from Shane's POV and another from Eve's. I'm not too proud to say that I bawled my eyes out, reading through their emotions in that moment. It was such a catalyst for the events in Shane's life, and therefore Michael, Eve and Claire's too that as emotional as it was, it was greatly enjoyable to get some perspective on where they came from.

It was wonderful in every single way to spend time with Myrnin too! He's such a multi-dimensional character that it is always a pleasure to bare witness to what he's getting up to. This time around, there were quite a few sad moments that really show Myrnin's character in a new light and it was beautifully done. There's yet another layer added to his brilliance that will only serve as more of a reason to love and care for him.

The collection in general was everything I wished for when I knew it was happening. Rachel has done herself, her fans, and the residents of Morganville proud. I truly hope that this isn't the last time I get to review a Morganville related book!

When I met Rachel Caine....again!

If you've read my blog at all before, then there's a very high chance that you've heard me express my love and adoration for the Morganville Vampire series by Rachel Caine. As well as the MV series, Rachel has written a multitude of books that I have devoured and loved almost equally. Morganville will always hold a special place in my heart though. I even have a (VERY slight) personal connection. Myrnin, an insane yet loveable vampire, hales from none other than Conwy, North Wales - just like me.

I have had the pleasure of meeting Rachel twice before but have only managed to get a handful of books signed due to time constraints and huge queues. This time was so different though, and so wonderful and lovely! We browsed the shelves of Waterstones for a while where my enabling boyfriend bought me copes of All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven and Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider :) After a bit too much browsing, I noticed a whole bunch of people taking their seats so we had to rush over. Thankfully, my as above wonderful boyfriend took charge of getting my stuff together so I could run over in time! All the signing events that i've attended before have been rush jobs. Queue, put books in front of author, sign, leave. This was a whole different experience for me and I loved it!

Rachel began by telling us a lot about herself, her aliases, how she got started etc. I did know most of it as I'm a bit of a Rachel-stalker but it was nice hearing it from herself. She then held a Q&A which again, I really enjoyed. I was even brave enough to ask my own question - Rachel loves Myrnin & Shane the most too! It was such a relaxed atmosphere and though it was extremely girl-heavy there was a wonderful mix of ages. Following this, we were treated to a reading! Rachel read a chunk of the short story Vexed, featuring Myrnin and Oliver. Is there anything better than hearing a story read by the person who created it? You get a real sense of the intention and meaning behind the words.

Once the reading was finished, we began the queuing to get our books signed. This was the part I was most nervous about. For once it wasn't even because I was nervous to meet her; it was the sheer amount of books that i'd brought with me to get signed. 16 in total. The staff at Waterstones and Rachel were actually so nice about it. I had to queue three times but it was absolutely worth it. As is typical, we had a chat about my name (it tends to be what gets me noticed most often!) and lots of other random things. We were also given goody bags which I may still be fangirling about. The bag itself is a red tote with Midnight Bites on it :)

Though I never have much trouble picking up a book and reading it - the whole experience reminded me of just how much I love to read and how much a part of me it is. We are so lucky that we get to meet the people behind the words and actually learn from them. Rachel was so open and honest about writing and publishing. I'm sure there were more than a couple of people who left the building that night, inspired and ready to write.

Me though? I'm not a writer. I just love to be immersed in the worlds and imaginations of others. So with that, keep an eye out on my upcoming review of Midnight Bites. I've been so looking forward to the day I could return to Morganville and it's finally here.

Brianna Reviews // Prince of Shadows by Rachel Caine

Published: 2014

Publisher: Allison and Busby

Format: Paperback

Synopsis: In the Houses of Montague and Capulet, there is only one goal: power. The boys are born to fight and die for honor and—if they survive—marry for influence and money, not love. The girls are assets, to be spent wisely. Their wishes are of no import. Their fates are written on the day they are born. Benvolio Montague, cousin to Romeo, knows all this. He expects to die for his cousin, for his house, but a spark of rebellion still lives inside him. At night, he is the Prince of Shadows, the greatest thief in Verona—and he risks all as he steals from House Capulet. In doing so, he sets eyes on convent-bound Rosaline, and a terrible curse begins that will claim the lives of many in Verona…

…And will rewrite all their fates, forever

I have to admit Prince of Shadows was not the top of my to read list. I’d started reading a different book and I have a rather short attention span, which doesn’t help with reading;  if a book or plot doesn’t have be hooked if find it very difficult to make my way through a book, so I realised a while ago that it is better for me and the book in question to abandon it if I’m only at the start. The problem was that I knew I didn’t want to read what I was reading but I didn’t know what I did want to read, I copied Caragh’s post-it in a jar technique, and Prince of Shadows is what came out. And honestly I didn’t have high hopes, I love Morganville and the way it’s written. But as my colleague said when she saw Prince of Shadows “It doesn’t look like the sort of book you would read”. I have (despite never actually reading or seeing the play) always hated Romeo and Juliet. I read the first page and I was hooked, I couldn’t put it down!

I’m not sure if my lack of knowledge of Romeo and Juliet was a good thing or a bad thing – it led to at least one embarrassing incident (I had no idea that Romeo was in love with Rosaline first).But it does also mean that I have nothing really to compare it to, not that it matters much because Prince of Shadows is the story of Benvolio Montague, and also I feel of Mercutio, less so of Romeo although obviously he is there.

Rachel Caine managed to take a time period, culture, language and partly subject matter, that I have no real desire to read and made me unable to put it down, I’d read another 10 if she wrote them.  The dialogue is not Shakespearean but I’d say it was of the period, which normally I just don’t have the patience riddles and people not straight forwardly saying what they mean, it frustrates and confuses me and back to the attention span I lose interest and understanding by the of the sentence; but not with Prince of Shadows. It helps that this book has plenty of action, and keeps moving there is always something happening or about to happen.

I fell a little bit in love with both Mercutio and Benvolio within the prologue.  It felt like I had been friends with Mercutio for years… and I think I hate Rachel Caine a little for that, this is a book based on one of Shakespeare’s tragedies being emotionally attached to one of the characters is not really advisable and I spent a fair bit of the book in tears for Mercutio (If I’m being brutally honest I’m crying just reviewing it – although I did just finish it). I also really liked Balthasar, Rosaline and Benvolio’s mother. Rosaline mainly because she doesn’t think being a woman should stop her from using a sword or climbing a wall, and also because she sees the feud and the bloodshed for what it is – unnecessary and pointless, and she never really considers that the fact Benvolio is a Montague should be a reason for her to hate him, she judges him on who he is not who his family is.

I don’t want to say too much more and risk spoiling the bits which are not already widely known to everyone but me. But I loved everything about Prince of Shadows, even if it broke my heart.

Caragh Reviews - Daylighters by Rachel Caine

Published - 5th November 2013
Publisher - Allison & Busby
Format - Paperback
Synopsis - Something drastic has happened in Morganville while Claire and her friends were away. The town looks cleaner and happier than they’ve ever seen it before, but when their incoming group is arrested and separated—vampires from humans—they realize that the changes definitely aren’t for the better. It seems that an organization called the Daylight Foundation has offered the population of Morganville something they’ve never had: hope of a vampire-free future. And while it sounds like salvation—even for the vampires themselves—the truth is far more sinister and deadly. Now, Claire, Shane and Eve need to find a way to break their friends out of Daylighter custody, before the vampires of Morganville meet their untimely end…

Daylighters is fifteenth (!) and final book in Rachel Caine's incredibly successful Morganville Vampires series. This series has been close to my heart for years now and so reviewing it is going to be difficult! 

Daylighters picks up where Fall of Night left off. The humans have taken back Morganville and the Glass House residents have a moral and practical dilemma on their hands. We have seen Claire grow from a timid young girl into a strong, ass-kicking woman. The Glass House has been fighting for human rights for Morganville for years now, and it is finally happening. Unfortunately the consequences of that are too extraordinary for Claire to believe in it. In order for the humans to take control, the vampires are being rounded up, tortured and killed. Claire takes up a moral issue in that she believes (as do I) that a whole species cannot be blamed for the act of a few. On that note, Claire decides to do what she does best - fight for Morganville. 

The Daylight Foundation was actually kind of terrifying. I can't really find a comparison good enough, but I find it scary when people commit crimes of great evil but truly and completely believe that they are doing the right thing. Its even more scary when it is humans doing the heinous crimes! Which is exactly what The Daylight Foundation are doing. Caine wrote the whole thing brilliantly and at every turn I was anxious, nervous and excited. Admittedly, most of my anxiety was aimed towards Shane, who is not only my bookish heartthrob but was also in great danger of a different kind than he is used to! Despite assurances from Rachel Caine during a book signing I attended earlier in the year, I spent May til November being crazy worried about what was going to happen after Fall of Night! I'm so pleased with the way it all worked out; both Shane's drama and the whole book. 

By the end of Daylighters, it is clear to see how all of the characters have grown throughout the course of the series, from Claire right through to Myrnin. They have learned from each other how to work together and be strong. I love every single one of them as if they were truly my best friends and I feel as though I fought those battles with them too. The series tied up beautifully and my only regret is that it's now all over and i'm desperate to know what life will be like for Michael and Eve especially now that things are so different. Thanks Rachel for a wonderful series and some of the best reads of my life!

Caragh Reviews - Working Stiff by Rachel Caine

Published - 31st October 2011
Publisher - Allison & Busby
Format - Paperback
Synopsis - Bryn Davis knows working at Fairview Mortuary isn't the most glamorous career choice, but at least it offers stable employment--until she discovers her bosses using a drug that resurrects the clientele as part of an extortion racket. Now, Bryn faces being terminated--literally, and with extreme prejudice. Wit the help of corporate double-agent Patrick McCallister, Bryn has a chance to take down the bigger problem--pharmaceutical company Pharmadene, which treats death as the ultimate corporate loyalty program. She'd better do it fast, before she becomes a zombie slave--a real working stiff. She'd be better off dead...

 *Insert fangirling about Rachel Caine*

Now that's covered, I should probably dive right in to the review!
I love me some Zombie books but Rachel Caine deals with the undead in a totally different way! Kick-ass Bryn Davis starts working at a Mortuary and it isn't long until she finds out about Pharmadenes special little talent; creating shots to bring the dead back to life! Awesome, right? Wrong. Once you've been given the drug you then need it every single day - and of course it comes at a huge price. 

Bryn has always been a hard worker and has always tried to do what she thinks is best, and that only becomes more apparent when she, along with sometimes-suspicious Pharmadene employees try to find the source of the dealers in order to take down the company and stop their inhumane acts. 

For the most part I really enjoyed Working Stiff. The concept was beyond awesome, a kick-ass woman taking charge of the situation (and the men!) and great writing from Caine as always. Though it took me such a long time to read! There's a section quite a bit after the beginning but before the halway point that just..drags. For lack of a better word. It's not that it's uninteresting because it isn't at all. It just felt like it could be more related to the story and a little bit more action. However, once I did start reading properly I couldn't put it down. Bryn and her new Pharmadene friends were awesome in every sense of the word. 

One thing Caine is excellent at is making the dangers that the characters face seem incredibly real. Physical pain, emotional turmoil, anxiety... you feel it all right alongside Bryn and it pulls you into the story completely. The events of Working Stiff, particularly the ending lead me to believe that the Revivalist series could well be one of my favourites. It raises a lot of moral questions too which makes it great for discussion.

It's also SO different from her other series too. I think it's safe to say that Rachel Caine has a series out there that is suited to every type of reader. The next book, Two Weeks Notice is on my upcoming to read books and the third is out soon so I definitely recommending reading this one now!

Caragh Reviews - Carniepunk Anthology (Ft Rachel Caine & more)

Published - 23rd July 2013
Publisher - Gallery Books
Format -E-book
Synopsis - A star-studded urban fantasy anthology featuring bestselling authors Rachel Caine, Rob Thurman, Seanan McGuire, Jennifer Estep, and Kevin Hearne, whose stories explore the creepy, mysterious, and, yes, sometimes magical world of traveling carnivals. The traveling carnival is a leftover of a bygone era, a curiosity lurking on the outskirts of town. It is a place of contradictions—the bright lights mask the peeling paint; a carnie in greasy overalls slinks away from the direction of the Barker’s seductive call. It is a place of illusion—is that woman’s beard real? How can she live locked in that watery box? And while many are tricked by sleight of hand, there are hints of something truly magical going on. One must remain alert and learn quickly the unwritten rules of this dark show. To beat the carnival, one had better have either a whole lot of luck or a whole lot of guns—or maybe some magic of one’s own. Featuring stories grotesque and comical, outrageous and action-packed, Carniepunk is the first anthology to channel the energy and attitude of urban fantasy into the bizarre world of creaking machinery, twisted myths, and vivid new magic.

I got sent this SO long ago and I feel terrible that it took me so long to finish it but honestly, it just wasn't working for me. I was so excited about the premise of this anthology - which as a fun note, was my first ever anthology! I knew it would be dark & twisted and of course, with Rachel Caine's name on the front there was no way I was missing out. Sadly, Rachel Caine was one of the only things I really enjoyed about it.

The anthology started off well, the stories were, as expected, dark and twisted but as I read on, it was just a little too much for me. Though i'm a 25yo mature adult, the adult content was just a little overbearing at times and the twisted was way beyond what I imagined. Somewhere along the way it just stopped being fun and became a chore. Sometimes, the location i'm reading in can really affect how I feel about a book and so I tried everything. I read in a tent in the middle of a field, I read on the beach, I read sitting in the window, lying in bed - nada. It just wasn't for me. Some of the stories were excellent and left me wanting more but others really felt like I was being punished for something..! 

I'm very grateful for getting to read this but I don't think i'll be buying it for my shelves anytime soon and if I do, it will purely be the allure of owning Caine's entire bibliography.

Meeting Rachel Caine + Morganville Web Series

Last year I had the pleasure of meeting the fantastic author of the Morganville Vampire series on her signing tour for Black Dawn. When I heard that she was returning to the UK on a tour for Fall of Night, I just HAD to travel the 2 hours it would take to meet the wonderful, lovely lady that is Rachel Caine once again. There was a ton of people and Rachel was so lovely that she chatted, signed multiple books from multiple series and posed for photos with every single person there!

I got about 6 books signed as I didn't want to overwhelm her with my entire collection, and had a quick chat. I was pretty nervous as the Morganville series means a lot to me. Caine's incredibly well written strong, kickass female characters inspire me to become the same person myself. Morganville taught me that no matter what troubles lie in your path, you CAN succeed and be happy as long as you surround yourself with people who love and care for you. As the reluctant owner of multiple incurable health problems that affect my day to day life, reading is the one thing that I can do, no matter what and having such wonderfully well written books about interesting and again, strong characters helps me to know that I can overcome anything too! Rachel Caine is so inspirational to me and I feel very lucky that I had the opportunity to meet her.

I left the signing with some awesome swag, a Morganville tote, ID card, resident bracelet and memories that will last a lifetime. She was even awesome enough to sign something and give me an extra bracelet for my nephew who is also a huge fan!

If you haven't read anything by Rachel Caine then I highly recommend any of her books! I recently started reading the Revivalist series so keep an eye out for the review in the future.

A huge thanks to Waterstones for hosting the event and to Rachel Caine for being an inspiration, a wonderful author and a genuinely nice lady!

As a side note - Rachel is holding a kickstarter in order to fund a web series for Morganville! I am SO excited for this to be a thing and the fantastic Amber Benson is signed on as Amelie! If you want to know more and/or wish to make a donation to the cause, you can find more on the kickstarter page here - Morganville Kickstarter

Review // Fall of Night (Morganville #14) - Rachel Caine (SPOILERS!)

Published - 2nd May 2013
Publisher - Allison & Busby
Format - Paperback
Synopsis - Thanks to its unique combination of human and vampire residents, Morganville, Texas, is a small college town with big-time problems. When student Claire Danvers gets the chance to experience life on the outside, she takes it. But Morganville isn’t the only town with vampire trouble...

Fall of Night is the fourteenth book in Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampires series.

This time, things are different. Bitter Blood (#13) left off with everything up in the air and left me with a bit of uncertainty as to the final two books in the series (there will be 15 in total) and Fall of Night has kind of broken the mold. The previous books, though vastly different to each other still held one thing in common; Morganville. 

Claire is now free of the restraints of Morganville and has gone to her dream college, MIT, leaving the rules, and vampires, behind her. With this move and the events of Bitter Blood, Claire has also left behind her boyfriend and her best friends; everything she knows. This huge change shocked me and for a long time I wasn't sure how I felt about it. After all, i've invested a lot of time in these books and all of a sudden, like Claire, I was pushed into a world that I didn't really understand. Anything could happen.

Luckily, Rachel Caine's risk on changing things up at the end of the series really worked. Personally, the thing I've learned most from these books is how strong a character, and more importantly a woman, Claire is and Fall of Night really shows that off beautifully. Despite being uncertain and scared, she follows her heart and proves to herself that she is strong and independent without being too preachy. As the story progresses, even more light on shed on these wonderfully written and intelligent characters when each of them discover that yes, they are strong - but they are so much stronger together and that it isn't weak to rely on your friends and have that support.

Of course, a Morganville book just wouldn't be the same without the crazy antics of Myrnin but again, Rachel Caine stepped up the vampires as well as her humans. For the first time in the history of Morganville, I felt truly afraid of what they are capable of. Their raw, instinctual solutions are terrifying and leave a lot of room for further writing. The scene at the 'farm' is not one that I will forget any time soon and VLAD's effects on Michael and the other vampires were jaw-dropping and emotional.

So there's one book left to wrap up the Morganville Vampires; Daylighters. After reading Fall of Night i'm not concerned at all with how Caine is going to settle the score between vampires and humans. However, I am concerned about the effects that Fall of Night will have on my favourite character of the series, Shane. What was that dog and what the hell is happening to him?

Saying goodbye to Morganville and the residents of the Glass House is not something I look forward to at all - but I honestly can't wait to see what transpires in Daylighters.

Book Haul | December

Not many books joined the shelves this month! However, January is coming (as is payday ;)) so expect a decent sized book haul in the new year.

Paris, I've Grown Accustomed To Your Ways - Ruth Yunker
Devil's Bargain - Rachel Caine *Review Posted
Wolf Sirens Forbidden - Tina Smith
Wolf Sirens Fever - Tina Smith (To be featured in Blog Tour Feb 2013!)
Forbidden - Jana Oliver

***

 

~ The final post of 2012! This blog has grown so much over the past 12 months and i'm expecting great things for the new year. I'd just like to thank anyone who reads and/or follows Loaded Shelves, thanks to all of the wonderful authors who have sent their precious work my way to share with you. 2013 will bring more books, more reviews, interviews and whatever else I can set up ;)
Thanks for everything!
                      Have a wonderful 2013 and keep reading :)

Review // Devil's Bargain - Rachel Caine

Published - 5th October 2012
Published By - Mira
Format - ebook
Goodreads Synopsis - What's the price of a deal with the devil? Playing by the psychic underworld's rules has cost. Jazz Callender's whole life just got turned upside down. Her friend Ben's been convicted of a crime he didn't commit, and Jazz is determined to clear his name, even if it means enlisting the help of dark forces. Enter James, a stranger with a mysterious offer. If Jazz pledges to work for The Cross Society, a shadowy secret organisation, he'll help her save Ben. But as she's thrust into a world of psychic powers and dangerous magic, Jazz isn't just bargain for her friend's freedom. She's bargaining for her soul too. And how high a price is she willing to pay?

Rachel Caine's Devil's Bargain is fresh, new and exciting! Having only read her Morganville series, I was a little taken aback at this book but not for any bad reasons. The writing is so different and yet still feels comfortable and the characters are unique and interesting in a different way to those I already know and love. Kickass female characters seem to be Caine's forte and I can definitely get on board with that. Jazz and Lucia are strong, independent women.

As well as just being a great book to read, Devil’s Bargain gives you a lot to think about. There was a great moment in the book that I found myself thinking about for a long time.“If everything we do makes a difference, is this right? ... You could make yourself crazy thinking these things.”

Admittedly, for most of the book I felt frustrated, my feelings mirrored those of Jazz in a way. I wanted to know what Borden and his company were hiding. There are still questions that I want answering (which is probably why this is a series!). Who IS Simms?

It's a fairly short book and easy to read and I recommend reading Devil's Bargain either in one big chunk or in a short space of time to get the full effects and emotions. You just don't get quite the right buzz if you put the book down mid-discovery! I love Caine's writing and her realistic portrayal of characters is unmatched. I urge anyone to read something by her!

Bookish Survey (Broke & the Bookish)

From Broke and the Bookish's blog - to cure the Monday Blahs!

1. The book I’m currently reading: Devil's Bargain  by Rachel Caine - I love Caine's writing and as I keep going on (and on and on...) I am a huge fan of her Morganville series. This book is so different though and it's taking me a while to finish it due to other commitments so i'm concerned i'm not giving it the proper attention. It is good though!

2. The last book I finished: Exposure by Askew & Helmes - The Twisted Lit series is great! I might be biased as I love Shakespeare but I definitely recommend you checking this and Tempestuous out.

3. The next book I want to read: Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick - A little bit of a lie. This isn't a book I *want* to read but more of a *need*. The books are terrible and make me so ANGRY! But for some reason they're also addictive. I have this insane urge to keep reading and finding out everything I can! I guess that means they're not as terrible as I make out but really..I can't wait until i've read them all so I can move on...

4. The last book I bought: Bitter Blood by Rachel Caine - I'm so surprised that this was the last I bought. It was so long ago now but i'm back on the infamous book buying ban just in time for Christmas. My TBR list is longer than Santa's 'naughty or nice' list...*deep breaths*. It was incredible as always though.

5. The last book I was given:  With Love at Christmas by Carole Matthews -This was a present and I cannot wait to read it! I love reading Christmassy books (the last few years I picked Trisha Ashley) so i'm looking forward to seeing what this one is all about. I haven't read Matthews before either. The Holidays are coming!

November Wrap-Up

These are the books that kept me busy during November! Let me know if you've read or plan to read any.

1. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie
2. The Foreshadowing - Marcus Sedgwick
3. Barrack Room Ballads - Rudyard Kipling (No Review)
4. Bitter Blood (Morganville #13) - Rachel Caine
5. Legend of the Chosen - Selzer & Huber
6. Tempestuous - Askew & Helmes
7. Sea of Monsters - Rick Riordan

Review // Bitter Blood (Morganville #13) - Rachel Caine

Published - 6th November 2012
Published By - Allison & Busby
Format - Paperback
Goodreads Synopsis -
For years, the human and vampire residents of Morganville, Texas, have managed to co-exist in peace. But now that the threat to the vampires has been defeated, the human residents are learning that the gravest danger they face is the enemy within…Thanks to the eradication of the parasitic creatures known as the draug, the vampires of Morganville have been freed of their usual constraints. With the vampires indulging their every whim, the town’s human population is determined to hold on to their lives by taking up arms. But college student Claire Danvers isn’t about to take sides, considering she has ties to both the humans and the vampires. To make matters worse, a television show comes to Morganville looking for ghosts, just as vampire and human politics collide. Now, Claire and her friends have to figure out how to keep the peace without ending up on the nightly news… or worse.

 ...Finally!
If you've been reading this blog for a while then you already know how much I just love this series. Although the last book only came out a few months ago, it has felt like forever whilst waiting for the thirteenth installment of Rachel Caine's Morganville series.

This book sees a lot of changes to both writing perspective and characters. The residents of Glass House are growing  up - and that's not necessarily a good thing. I've been with Claire, Shane, Michael & Eve for a long time now and they truly are like my best friends; so if you've read this book you'll understand what I mean when I say i'm worried about where the series will go from here. I need my friends happy & together.

There were moments in Bitter Blood where I was just too scared to read because I had NO idea where Caine was going with it. Every page was a surprise and a delight. I devoured the entire thing in less than 24 hours because I couldn't bare to be parted with it (pesky work got in the way a little). For me, Rachel Caine has created  an amazing world. I feel like Morganville is my home too and i'm equally as invested in the town's survival. It takes a skilled writer to make a book feel like real life but that's exactly what Caine does in Morganville. 

Myrnin was, as always, beautifully written and is an absolute pleasure to read. Reading from his POV was great and I really connected with him. In fact, I just want to continuously gush over each and every character! I even felt concerned for Oliver..! I cried a good few times whilst reading Bitter Blood (don't worry, no spoilers here) and there is one special little spirit that I would just love to meet again. :)

I doubt that Rachel Caine will personally see this but I wish I could thank her again for bringing these stories and people (for that's who they are!) into my world.

Top Ten Tuesday | Books Read In 2011

This week's Top Ten Tuesday is: Top Ten Books I Read In 2011

(I may be cheating a little by lumping series' together :P)

1. Morganville Vampires - Rachel Caine

2. Wintercraft - Jenna Burtenshaw

3. Paper Towns - John Green

4. Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green

5. Evermore - Alyson Noel

6. Beastly - Alex Flinn

7. North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell

8. Good Morning, Midnight - Jean Rhys

9. The Color Purple - Alice Walker

10. Let It Snow - Green, Johnson & Myracle

I'm in no way disrespecting any of these authors as I love them ALL, but 2011 wasn't a great year for my reading pile! I pretty just much read series' of books rather than stand-a-lones so it was difficult to choose. I read ELEVEN of Caine's books in 2011! Hopefully when it comes to posting my 2012 reading list, it will be a little more varied :)

July Wrap-Up

It's the end of the month again, where is the time going? I managed to get most of my reading done this month which was great, except I had to switch out a couple of books with other things in order to stick to my reading time frames!
So here is July's Wrap-Up

Books Read in July

Fifty Shades of Grey - E.L.James
Let Them Eat Cake - Rachel Caine (Short Story)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
The Name of the Star - Maureen Johnson
Hush, Hush - Becca Fitzpatrick
Demon Thief - Darren Shan
Deja Vu of Love - Carol Cadoo

With the exception of Rachel Caine's short story and Carol Cadoo's debut novel Deja Vu of Love, all of the books have been reviewed this month.


Deja Vu of Love by Carol Cadoo will be featured on Loaded Shelves as part of her Virtual Blog Tour later this month where you can read more about the author, my review of her book and an exclusive Get-To-Know-You interview with Carol Cadoo.

Review // Black Dawn (Morganville #12) - Rachel Caine

Published - 1st May 2012
Published By - Allison & Bubsy
Format - Paperback
Goodreads Sypnosis - In Last Breath, the rain brought a new and dire threat to Morganville and its vampires... their ancient enemies, the draug. Now, the vampires are fighting a losing war, and it will fall to the residents of the Glass House: Michael, Eve, Shane and Claire, to take the fight to an enemy who threatens to destroy the town, forever.

 Black Dawn is book 12 in Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampires series. Despite it already been 12 books long with another 3 releases in the upcoming future, I am still loving Morganville! There seems to be no end of mischief in Morganville and Claire, Shane, Michael and Eve always seem to be right in the middle of the trouble. This time though, they're teaming up with the enemy in order save their homes, and their lives.


Black Dawn fits right into the series but this time it's darker.  A lot darker. After books 10 and 11 I didn't take anything for granted so the worry I felt when the foursome were in trouble was real. What was new for me though, was the worry I felt for characters like Amelie and Oliver. So far in this series i'd felt that the safety of those two were guaranteed, but not any more. 
It was a real page turner for me and I kept reading until 4am to find out what was going on! 


As all Morganville fans want to know - just how crazy was Myrnin this time around?
I love Myrnin as both a character and an aid to Claire's character. Myrnin is his usual self in Black Dawn - just as you feel that he is safe and reliable, he goes and does something to prove he's just a vampire.


One of my favourite moments of Black Dawn was when Myrnin uses a lovely Welsh phrase. Being from Wales, I was very happy to see that and made me love him even more! I'm delighted that there will be more Morganville books in the future and i'll be one of those hoping that the series keeps going until there is a natural end.

Rachel Caine Book Signing

On Saturday 12th May, I was lucky enough to be able to travel to Manchester and meet Rachel Caine at a book signing for her new book, Black Dawn.
I was so excited but also a little (okay, a lot) nervous.
I've only ever met one author before (Philip Pullman) and that was...awkward.

I have an irrational fear that meeting the author of a book that I adore will somehow ruin the magic for me. Does anyone else feel like that?
Well I had nothing to worry about. Rachel was so lovely and I got to chat to her for a good few minutes. I explained to her how I had travelled from Wales and how much I loved that Myrnin used Welsh in Black Dawn. She shook my hand and thanked me for going to see her - at which point I couldn't thank her enough for writing such wonderful books.

I also had the pleasure of discussing Myrnin's slippers with her. She very kindly explained that Myrnin's slippers are from Monty Python and are available to buy on thinkgeek.com! Definitely my next blow-out purchase I think! She also said that perhaps Claire was too young to understand the reference. (NB: I apologise if I understood this information wrongly.)

Here's a little sneak peak of information too - in book 13, we will see Morganville from Myrnin's perspective! I am SO excited about that.

Well, when we got done chatting, Rachel signed my copy of Black Dawn, and also Glass Houses with little personal messages. I can't even begin to explain how happy I was when I read that 'Shane' thought I was cool. Rachel brought the Morganville experience alive and it was lovely to see so many people turn out with their copies of Morganville books.

Interested in what I thought about Black Dawn? Check back on Sunday!

Last Breath - Rachel Caine (Morganville #11)

No blurb for this book as it has been loaned out!

It's been a while since I read this book now and I have a ton of catching up to do but here goes.

In my opinion, the Morganville series is going stronger, perhaps even stronger than ever. Despite Last Breath being book 11 in a what seems to be never-ending series - i'm still wishing for more.
The adventures of Claire, Shane, Eve and Michael are better than ever in this book and for the first time, I genuinely worried for their safety. Last Breath is also the first Morganville book I have honestly sobbed over! At every point in the book, I wasn't sure what was going to happen to the foursome and whether they could overcome the trouble that Morganville and it's vampires had in store for them.

Myrnin, as usual, was as ambiguous as ever and one of my favourite things about the series is that I absolutely adore him, and still don't know whether to trust him! Though I think my opinion on Myrnin has now been set for good (spoiler free blog, remember! - unless stated otherwise anyway).

It's not my favourite book of the series (not that I could decide anyway!) but I enjoyed it so much. I don't think i'll ever be ready to leave Morganville but thankfully there is still at least ONE more book on the way...