Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday # 38

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme
 hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine


Possession 
by Kat Richardson
Series: Greywalker #8
Publisher: Penguin/Roc
Publication date: August 6, 2013
Genre: Adult Urban Fantasy

When a comatose woman suddenly wakes up and starts painting scenes she’s never witnessed, with a skill she’s never had, medical science has no explanation. As more bizarre phenomena manifest, even her doctors start to wonder if the woman may be possessed. Frustrated and frightened, the patient’s sister reluctantly turns to Greywalker Harper Blaine to discover who—or what—is occupying her sister’s body. As Harper digs into the case of apparent possession, she discovers other patients struck with the same mystifying afflictions and a disturbing connection to one of the most gruesome stories in Washington’s history…
I love the Greywalker series and watching the character growth in Harper as she learns more about her abilities and solves each new case. Every book gets better and better. Eep!  This is an auto-buy for me and I cannot wait! 


Ashes on the Waves
by Mary Lindsey
Publisher: Penguin
Publication date: June 27, 2013
Genre: YA Gothic Retelling/Paranormal
Purchase*: Barnes and Noble/Amazon/Book Depository 


Liam MacGregor is cursed. Haunted by the wails of fantastical Bean Sidhes and labeled a demon by the villagers of Dòchas, Liam has accepted that things will never get better for him—until a wealthy heiress named Annabel Leighton arrives on the island and Liam’s fate is changed forever. With Anna, Liam finally finds the happiness he has always been denied; but, the violent, mythical Otherworlders, who inhabit the island and the sea around it, have other plans. They make a wager on the couple’s love, testing its strength through a series of cruel obstacles. But the tragedies draw Liam and Anna even closer. Frustrated, the creatures put the couple through one last trial—and this time it’s not only their love that’s in danger of being destroyed. Based on Edgar Allan Poe’s chilling poem Annabel Lee, Mary Lindsey creates a frighteningly beautiful gothic novel that glorifies the power of true love.
Doesn't Ashes on the Waves sound creep-tastic! It's based on Edgar Allan Poe's poem Annabel Lee and I cannot wait to devour this Gothic tale!  


What are you waiting on? 

Labels: , , , ,

Friday, August 17, 2012

Seawitch by Kat Richardson

Seawitch
by Kat Richardson
Series: Greywalker #7
Publisher: ROC
Publication date: August 8, 2012
Genre: Urban Fantasy/ Adult
Purchase: Barnes and Noble/Amazon/Book Depository


A quarter century ago, the Seawitch cruised away from her dock and disappeared with everyone on board. Now, the boat has mysteriously returned to her old berth in Seattle and the insurance company has hired Harper to find out what happened. But Harper is not the only one investigating. Seattle Police Detective Rey Solis is a good cop, albeit one who isn’t comfortable with the creepy cases that always seem to end up in Harper’s lap. As Solis focuses on the possible murder of a passenger’s wife, Harper’s investigation leads her to a powerful being who may be responsible for the disappearance of the Seawitch’s passengers and crew.

The Greywalker series is one of my favorite urban fantasies. It has elements I love; fantastic world building, fully developed characters, mysteries, suspense, and plenty of paranormal woo-woo. I was absolutely smitten with Downpour the last installment of the series and the wait for Seawitch was excruciating! It was worth every second as Richardson delivered a fast paced, action packed tale that kept me on the edge of my seat. I had to force myself to set it down or else I would have consumed it in a single evening; sleep be damned.

Harper Blaine is a private investigator, who after dying for two minutes found herself able to walk the realm between the living and the paranormal. This space is known as the "grey". She is known as a Greywalker and maintains the balance between both worlds. While reading the series we have watched Harper learn her skills as a Greywalker, face down evil adversaries and figure out her own personal life. I adore and respect Harper. She is strong, brave, snarky and brilliant. She thinks on her feet, and is a total kick-ass. She is like a Timex watch she takes a licking' and keeps on ticking. She is without a doubt one of my favorite female protagonists. She doesn't bitch about her problems, she is fair and always tries to do the noble thing. She has made a life for herself in Seattle working as both a PI and handling "grey" cases. Often the two intertwine and the ride is always a good one.

Harper has been hired by an insurance company, to investigate the return of the Seawitch. Twenty-seven years ago the ship and her crew disappeared. They were declared lost. Now it has suddenly reappeared and is docked in its old birth at the marina. Harper learns that the Seattle police department is also investigating and she is anxious to find out why. At the marina Detective Rey Solis greets her. Rey’s cases and Harper’s have intertwined before and Harper suspects he doesn’t entirely trust her. The tale that unfolds is suspenseful, full of old Ireland lore and mystical creatures.

Richardson has this incredible ability to create characters that you cannot help but love. I have already professed my feelings for protagonist Harper Blaine. In each novel we have seen her grow and this novel is no exception. I loved seeing her open up and connect with people. Harper is complicated, delightful and her snarky attitude often has me giggling. I am so pleased that Richardson chose to include Rey Solis in this case. Learning his history and meeting his family was interesting and I loved getting to know the man behind the cold, professional, by-the-book Detective. I am hoping he joins Harper on other cases. Quinton wasn’t as present in this novel, but when he was ..WOW! We get to know more about him and his secretive past. Facts revealed about his father..OMG! I promised no spoilers so my lips are sealed. We meet other colorful people and creatures that add to the mystery. Richardson brought these secondary characters to life and each was unique in their own right.

Let’s talk world-building and nobody does it like Kat!  If you have read any books in this series, I think you will agree that Richardson is brilliant with bringing the realm between the living and the paranormal to life. As I read her words I slipped into the grey and it bursts to life. Each novel reveals more about this mysterious, unique place and I find myself completely enthralled. Harper's case was fascinating. I love to watch documentaries about lost ships and speculate about what occurred. The tale of the Seawitch was fascinating, as the author slowly revealed clues and pieces of the mystery. She did this while weaving in old lore’s and mystical creatures. It was delightful and she breathed an air of believability into it all. The action scenes were exciting and had me turning the pages at a rapid pace. The subplot(s) that weaves throughout all eight novels just keeps getting more intense and I find myself once again drooling in anticipation for the next book. *sighs*

If you love urban fantasy fan, kick-ass protagonists and PI novels, you should already be reading this series. If you haven’t you need to run to your nearest book store, library or hit the click, confirm, buy button on your e-reader ! *just saying* Below you will find a link to a post I did showcasing all of the books in this series. (yep I love it that much)

I gave this novel 4.5 coffee cups out of 5. 
Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer Kimba The Caffeinated Book Reviewer Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer


Enhanced by Zemanta

Labels: , , , , , ,

Monday, December 26, 2011

Kat Richardson and the Greywalker Series



Dear Reader,
I want to share one of my favorite authors and series with you. I read all of the books before I began my blog and so I decided to share them with you today. I was introduced to the Greywalker series by Kat Richardson at B&N's Paranormal and Urban Fantasy book club forum. The Greywalker series all center around Harper Blaine. She is a successful private investigator, who has a near death experience that changes her. Harper Blaine has to be one of my favorite female protagonists. She is tough, smart, independent and witty. The ARC Richardson has created in this series is fresh and original. I have absolutely loved watching both the protagonist and writer grow as the series develops.  Harper's romantic relationship is genuine and progresses over several novels. In each new case Harper learns more about her gift/curse. Watching her skill set evolve has been delightful. The next book in this series entitled Seawitch will be published in August of 2012. All of the books are available in paper, audio and eBook formats. While each book deals with a specific case and can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading them in order. 
I have had an opportunity to chat with Kat Richardson on the B&N forums, twitter and Google+. She has to be one of the nicest, humblest authors I have ever had the pleasure to chat with. 
Please take a moment to read the synopsis from the first six books in the series. I hope you will try them. If you do, be sure and let me know what you think.                      
                                                    Kimba




Kat Richardson
Author of the Greywalker paranormal detective novels. Lives on a boat in Seattle with her husband and the ghosts of ferrets.
website:Kat Richardson
twitter @katrchrdsn









Greywalker (Greywalker #1)
Harper Blaine was slogging along as a small-time P.I. when a two-bit perp's savage assault left her dead. For two minutes, to be precise. When Harper comes to in the hospital, she begins to feel a bit ...strange. She sees things that can only be described as weird-shapes emerging from a foggy grey mist, snarling teeth, creatures roaring. But Harper's not crazy. Her "death" has made her a Greywalker-able to move between our world and the mysterious, cross-over zone where things that go bump in the night exist. And her new gift (or curse) is about to drag her into that world of vampires and ghosts, magic and witches, necromancers and sinister artifacts. Whether she likes it or not.(synopsis from Goodreads)





Poltergeist (Greywalker #2)
Harper Blaine was your average small-time PI until she died - for two minutes. Now she's a Greywalker - walking the thin line between the living world and the paranormal realm. And she's discovering that her new abilities are landing her all sorts of "strange" cases.   In the days leading up to Halloween, Harper's been hired by a university research group that is attempting to create an artificial poltergeist. The head researcher suspects someone is faking the phenomena, but Harper's investigation reveals something else entirely - they've succeeded. And when one of the group's members is killed in a brutal and inexplicable fashion, Harper must determine whether the killer is the ghost itself, or someone all too human.(synopsis from Goodreads)





Underground (Greywalker #3)
Harper Blaine was your average small-time P.I. until she died for two minutes. Now Harper is a Greywalker-- walking the thin line between the living world and the paranormal realm. And she's discovering that her new abilities are landing her all sorts of "strange" cases.  Pioneer Square's homeless are turning up dead and mutilated, and zombies have been seen roaming the underground--the city buried beneath modern Seattle. When Harper's friend Quinton believes he may be implicated in the deaths, he persuades her to investigate. But the killer is no mere murderer--it is a creature of ancient legend. And Harper must deal with both the living and the dead to stop the monster and its master…...unless they stop her first.(synopsis from Goodreads)





Vanished (Greywalker #4)
Harper Blaine was your average small-time P.I. until she died-for two minutes. Now Harper is a Greywalker-walking the line between the living world and the paranormal realm. And she's discovering that her new abilities are landing her in all sorts of "strange cases." But for Harper, her own case may prove the most difficult to solve. Why did she-as opposed to others with near-death experiences-become a Greywalker? When Harper digs into her own past, she unearths some unpleasant truths about her father's early death as well as a mysterious puzzle. Forced by some very demanding vampires to take on an investigation in London, she soon discovers her present troubles in England are entangled with her dark past back in Seattle-and her ultimate destiny as a Greywalker.(synopsis from Goodreads)




Labyrinth (Greywalker #5)
Harper Blaine was your average small-time P. I. until she died-for two minutes. Now she's a Greywalker, walking the line between the living world and the paranormal realm. There are others who know about her new powers-others with powerful tools and evil intentions, and now that the man who "killed" her has been murdered, the police are also paying close attention. That means Harper has to watch her step while searching for the ghost of her "killer"-who could be a valuable clue in the puzzle of Harper's past and her father's death, as well as a key to figuring out who's trying to manipulate her new powers and why. But with her growing powers pulling her into the Grey, Harper might not be able to come back out...(synopsis from Goodreads)





Downpour (Greywalker #6)
After being shot in the back and dying-again- Greywalker Harper Blaine's only respite from the chaos is her work. But while conducting a pre-trial investigation in the Olympic Peninsula, she sees a ghostly car accident whose victim insists that he was murdered and that the nearby community of Sunset Lakes is to blame.  Harper soon learns that the icy waters of the lake hide a terrible power, and a host of hellish beings under the thrall of a sinister cabal that will use the darkest of arts to achieve their fiendish ends…(synopsis from Goodreads)






Seawitch (Greywalker #7)


Expected publication is August of 2012.















Buy them at Barnes and Noble here: Greywalker
or at Amazon here:  Greywalker (Greywalker, Book 1)

Labels: , , ,

Friday, August 19, 2011

Downpour by Kat Richardson



After being shot in the back and dying-again- Greywalker Harper Blaine's only respite from the chaos is her work. But while conducting a pre-trial investigation in the Olympic Peninsula, she sees a ghostly car accident whose victim insists that he was murdered and that the nearby community of Sunset Lakes is to blame.  Harper soon learns that the icy waters of the lake hide a terrible power, and a host of hellish beings under the thrall of a sinister cabal that will use the darkest of arts to achieve their fiendish ends…(synopsis from Goodreads)








This series gets better with every book. Downpour has to be my favorite in the series so far. Richardson has been compared to Chandler and that comparison couldn't be more correct. While conducting a pretrial investigation in the Olympic Peninsula, our protagonist Harper Blaine, sees a ghostly car accident whose victim insists that he was murdered and that the nearby community of Sunset Lakes is to blame. While investigating, she must unravel the secrets at Blood Lake and stop the Grey things from controlling the area before it becomes a threat.  Kat Richardson should be extremely proud of this masterpiece.


I give this book 5 cups of coffee out of five.

Labels: , , , ,