Review: Hurricane by Jenna-Lynne Duncan

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Title: Hurricane
Author: Jenna-Lynne Duncan
Started: 1/3/12
Finished: 5/3/12
Medium: eBook (Review Copy from Author)
Genre: Young Adult: Paranormal
Buy: Amazon / The Book Depository / Barnes & Noble

Goodreads Synopsis:

Adriana couldn’t decide what was worse—that Hurricane Katrina was heading for New Orleans, or that she might not survive her kidnapping to see its potential effects. She had trusted Hayden, even fallen for him, and now he and his brother Luke were taking her deeper and deeper into the Bayou. Why had two of her classmates, the mysterious Boudreaux brothers, kidnapped her? Why had Adriana’s dreams started predicting the future? Most importantly, would she make it out of the Bayou alive…
A portion of the sales from 'Hurricane' will be going to the New Orleans Area Habitat Humanity for Humanity.

I got this book for review awhile back and the only thing I remember about the synopsis was that the heroine lives in New Orleans and gets kidnapped. And that combination of concepts seemed completely different for me and I wanted to try it out.

So I started reading this book with no expectations that it'll be a paranormal-ish kind of book. Our heroine, Andriana is a sweet, modest, independent, angsty girl. And by angsty, I mean the genuine angst, the kind that actually has a reason behind it. I could easily connect with her and sometimes I felt like I was her good friend. I love it when authors manage to write a protagonist who is realistic enough to connect with the readers. At some point in the story, she began to annoy me. She just met these two brothers and she's so into them already. The easy "love" in books can be considerably unrealistic but then again. I think at some point in my teenage life, I had fawned over a guy I just met, like she did. So I can't really complain about her doing so as well.

As for the male protagonists, Luke and Hayden, I don't have much thoughts about them. They're just the usual cute, mysterious new boys at school. Their personalities are almost the opposite, Luke being the eldest knew more, and held this grumpy demeanor. As for Hayden, hes got the whole boy next door thing that I really didn't like much. But what can I say, you still have to have a boy in the picture otherwise, I won't probably read any book if it doesn't have romance.

The overall plot was different and so was the setting, and some bits of the characters. Jenna-Lynne's descriptions are detailed and well constructed. I enjoyed the flow of her writing from one chapter to the another. The book was light, thorough, different, eventful and amazing! Jenna-Lynne has definitely caught me in her web of many fans.

Guestpost on Secondary Characters by Maggie O’Malley

Synopsis:

Cat Watson managed to escape from the powerful drug lord Alvarez and right into the hands of the notorious killer—Rabid Rio. Rio promises to protect her and her baby if she becomes his mistress. With no money, what choice did she have?


Rio Wolff has found his mate, and she’s carrying another man’s child, not that it makes a difference to a werewolf. Cat’s running from the bastard, and only he can save her. It would help if she’d stop trying to run away every time he turns his back.

Creed Wolff gazes at the beauty standing in his kitchen and wonders why Rio has broken the rule never to bring a female home. She’s Creed’s mate so he can forgive his brother. Now he needs to replace Rio’s scent with his.

Cat can’t believe she lets both brothers pleasure her. Finally, she’s found a place where she feels safe, protected, and loved. But her world crashes when she finds out they have sold her to Alvarez.

Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Ménage (m/f/m), anal play/intercourse, sex with toys, and spanking.

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Secondary Characters by Maggie O'Malley

In most stories, there are main characters, minor secondary characters, and major secondary characters. Main characters are my heroes (two in Claiming Their Cat) and the heroine. The story is all about the conflict and conflict resolution for these three. The villain is also a main character since he’s the reason for the external conflict.

Minor secondary characters are people such as a doorman, a taxi driver, a clerk, or a waiter. The purpose of these people is to make the story believable as the main characters go about their normal lives. In Claiming Their Cat, I have a steak house owner, a valet, a receptionist, and a hairdresser just to mention a few. These people have small speaking parts that mimic life.

Most of the time, I don’t even bother to give them people names, but I use what I call profile names that are really just adjectives to describe the person. Their real names aren’t important because they only appear for a short period. Like No-neck for a man whose head sits directly on his shoulders; Bikerboobs for a well-endowed biker chick; Miss Nosey for the neighbor who has nothing better to do than poke her nose into other people’s business. Bruiser could be the bouncer at a bar. In Claiming Their Cat, Cat referred to Deac’s previous lover as Mad Margaret because of Margaret’s insane attitude.

Animals make great minor secondary characters, too. They don’t speak, but their antics and interaction with the major players adds a touch of reality.

The purpose of major secondary characters is to move the story forward to those blessed words—The End. They influence or are influenced by the major players. Major secondary characters have more interaction with the major players but should never upstage the major characters. They have personalities that must be explained. In Claiming There Cat, Fred is the restaurant owner in the first chapter. He’s an old werewolf, ex-military, and Rio’s best friend. His interaction with Rio and Cat lasts for three chapters. Oh yeah, he makes the best pot of coffee in the world according to Rio.

Another major secondary character is Rio and Creed’s grandmother who’s a seer. She knew that Rio and Creed were both mates to Cat, and warned them not to make rash decisions. Then we have Lucy and Draco. Lucy is the doctor who helped patch up Cat. Draco is Rio’s friend, and Rio sends Draco to Lucy’s house on a mission.

Major secondary characters sometimes become the hero or heroine of the sequel. They’ve been introduced, and readers want to know their story. I can’t count the number of emails I’ve received where people want to know when a major secondary character, such as Lucy and Draco, will get their own story. This means the reader cares about the major secondary character, a distinguishing factor compared to the minor secondary character. The names I choose for my major secondary characters are important because they may get their own book. By the way, I’ve never had anyone ask for a sequel with a minor secondary character.

Obviously, if my hero and heroine are stuck on a deserted island, or lost in the desert, or snowbound in the artic, and the whole story is in this setting, then secondary characters aren’t necessary unless these secondary characters appear in dreams or flashbacks. What person hasn’t had their mother or father’s words invade their thoughts? That’s because we’re all a product of our experiences just like characters are.

I’m Maggie O’Malley, and I’m so glad to be here today. Do you have any nifty minor character names?

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Thanks Maggie for this wonderful guestpost! I never knew that those waiters, taxi drivers, people walking down the streets and everything had a label. Thanks for this. And keep writing those wonderful stories. I can't wait to read yours. 

Review: Griffin's Fire (Griffin Rising #2) by Darby Karchut

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Title: Griffin's Fire
Author: Darby Karchut
Started: 26/2/12
Finished: 28/2/12
Medium: eBook (ARC from Author)
Genre: Young Adult: Paranormal
Buy: Barnes & Noble

Goodreads Synopsis:

For centuries, there have been rumors about a lowly caste of supernatural beings known as the Terrae Angeli. Armed with the power to control Earth, Fire, Wind and Water, these warriors and their apprentices clandestinely serve as guardians for humans in danger.

Forced to become mortal, ex-teen angel Griffin has been banished from the Terrae Angeli. Struggling to adjust, he enrolls in the heaven-and-hell known as high school. In spite of his friends’ support, Centennial High proves to be a battleground, complete with a malicious math teacher.


And to make matters worse, his Mentor, Basil, has been ordered to take on a new apprentice, the gifted and egotistical seventeen-year-old Sergei, whose covert attacks make Griffin’s home life as bleak as a Siberian winter.

Caught between school, Sergei, and a desperate secret, Griffin is certain of one thing: the only way to fight a Cold War is with Fire.

When Darby approached me to read and review her second installment to her paranormal series. I was thrilled. I loved the first one and definitely found it unique. But that was nearly a year ago so I started this book with only little recollection of the first book.

Griffin Fire is almost the perfect sequel to the series. The protagonist who looks like a teenage boy but has actually been "born" at 6 (if I remember correctly) to be trained to be an Angel (the book has a different term for them). The entire story was based on Griffin's (the protagonist) hardships after his test to because a full fledged Angel. His hate and anger towards himself and his mentor, Basil. Their relationship is almost like a father and son but in a more apprentice and mentor way, is completely heart warming that you can't help and go: Aww. 

With every new installment there comes a new antagonist that gives our Griffin a big headache or in this case almost cost him his "love". Sergei is staying with Griffin and Basil for a few months and Sergei has it in for Griffin. He simply does not like him and wants to make his life a living hell. But near the end, you'll begin to warm up to him a little, okay, not really. But he gets what he deserves. 

The ending was not what I expected. I was expecting this HUGE plot twist but nothing come. Hence, I'm a little disappointed but I still enjoyed this book completely.

Griffin's Fire is light, heart-warming story. It has light romance with funny moments as well as some action thrown in there. Its a perfect read for one sitting. Definitely recommended to those who like their reads short and fast. 4/5 stars.