Review: A Tale of Two Goblins by H. P Mallory

Title: A Tale of Two Goblins
Series: Dulcie O’Neil #2
Author: H. P. Mallory | Author Website
Available: Now
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Reading Level: Adult


**SPOILERS for the first book in this series below**








Description from Goodreads:


A Dreamstalker— a creature that stalks and kills its victims in sleep. 

A fairy in law enforcement determined to stop him. 

A potions smuggler who possesses something she wants. 

A vampire with his own agenda. 

And a partner who couldn’t possibly be sexier or more frustrating. 

Dulcie O’Neil is a fairy working in law enforcement for the Netherworld. 
When Knight Vander approaches her with a case regarding comatose victims, she agrees to help him, imagining the most difficult part will be combating her attraction to him. 

But, what Dulcie isn’t betting on is the fact that the case becomes personal when she learns all the victims are somehow linked to her. 

When her best friend falls victim to the Dreamstalker, Dulcie must do everything in her power to ensure her friend’s survival, including associating with criminals and accepting the fact that desperate times do definitely call for desperate measures.


My thoughts:


A Tale of Two Goblins gets us back in the action with the much-loved fairy Dulcie O’Neil. At the end of To Kill A Warlock she left A.N.S (Association for Netherworld Creatures) because of the outcome of the last case she was working on. (Quill: Shame on you!) She agreed to the role of consultant when A.N.S. needs her. Hopefully this will give her time to deal with the emotional backlash triggered by the events of book 1. It also means more time to work on her novel.

Acting Chief of Headquarters (& super hot Loki) ,Knight, approaches Dulcie about a case involving a possible Dreamstalker. The maybe Dreamstalker has rendered several victims unconscious and trapped between a state of life and death. When Dulcie realizes she has a connection to almost all of the victims she becomes concerned it might be personal and agrees to help. Over the course of the case Dulcie finds she has to make some tough choices to stay one step ahead of the Dreamstalker.

The sophomore novel in this UF series is just as full of action and suspense as its predecessor. It also has the snark and wit I’ve come to associate with the sassy fairy, Dulcie. Events do take a darker turn when Dulcie makes some hard choices in order to save the victims of the Dreamstalker. It fit and gave the plot a nice amount of depth. No fluff here!

She is still being pursued by some seriously hot guys and hasn’t dealt with her commitment issues (who can blame her!). I was thrilled that we got to know the men in Dulcie’s life a little better including the fascinating Bram. If you dig vampires, you will fall madly in love with him no doubt. Even after two books I still can’t decide who I think she should be with. I can’t even pick a favorite! They all have qualities that I need the romantic interest in books I read to possess. What a lucky fairy!

Not only does this series contain great characters, but the author also offers up a solid plot with multiple twists and turns. This is a series that is going places! If you are a fan of Urban Fantasy I recommend giving Dulcie O’Neil’s world a try. 

My Rating:

Books in this series:

Source: Bookish Snob Promotions

Review & Giveaway: My Immortal Assassin by Carolyn Jewel

Title: My Immortal Assassin
Series: Witches #3
Author: Carolyn Jewel
Available: Now
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Reading Level: Adult


4 out of 5 Stars

*Possible Spoilers for earlier books in this series below*

Description from Goodreads:


Revenge. It's all Grayson Spencer wants. Christophe dit Menart, a human with dark magical powers, destroyed the life she loved. She wants the pleasure of killing him, no matter the cost to her. If not for Durian, a dangerously sexy demon fiend charged with keeping Christophe alive, she would have succeeded, too. Now, she's certain all hope is gone. But he has a plan and an offer she can't resist...

Durian has spent his life as a trained and sanctioned assassin. His duty: to enforce the laws against demons harming humans. He's always prided himself on staying out of the fray, carrying out his orders and honoring his fealty to his warlord, but never getting attached. Never until Grayson, a spunky and determined woman clearly gifted with magic herself. He convinces her to swear fealty to him so he can protect her and teach her to use her magic to taste the revenge she so desperately wants.

They're soon bound together in a forbidden desire--a dangerous passion that calls into question Durian's oath of loyalty to his warlord. When he refuses to return her to Christophe, his disobedience threatens to inflame the tumultuous war between demons and the magekind. Can they--and their love--survive?




My thoughts:


Anna Grayson Spencer, now known as just Gray, is seeking revenge on the mage who ruined her life and killed her sister. While attempting to murder the mage responsible, she is intercepted by Durian. Durian is an assassin who works for a powerful warlord. Durian takes Gray in and in return she swears fealty to him. They begin to find themselves the target of attacks, and set out to find who is responsible. The attraction between them grows as the action builds, and Durian discovers he might be falling for the girl he initially deemed not his type.


My Immortal Assassin takes readers into a very complex world. The author does provide a glossary in the front which I referenced on more than one occasion. While I don’t think you must read these in order, I do think it would give readers a clearer take on the magic and characters the series contains. Even with moments of confusion over the terminology, I still really liked this one. Solid writing with loads of action. 


The characters were strong and well developed. Gray was a spunky female heroine even though she had faced many tough situations in her recent past. Durian was the classic damaged hero that I’ve come to love so much. I loved watching the characters overcome not only present obstacles, but also past ones that were haunting them. I also enjoyed how well the main characters complimented each other. Gray’s sense of humor started to bring out a side of Durian that I’m not even sure he knew he had. Another huge win with me was the lack of angst in the relationship between Durian and Gray. The typical power struggle that seems to be present in so many romance novels wasn’t there. The characters trusted each other, and were willing to take a step back when the other advised it was best. While I admit angst is good for building the sexual tension, the lack of conflict between these two main characters definitely didn’t have a negative effect. It was present and intense.


This book does contain some dark moments, but Gray’s sarcastic wit does an excellent job of lightening the mood. I’m really excited to backtrack and read the first two books of this series, and continue with the next.

Carolyn Jewel on the web:

Website | Facebook | Twitter 

Myspace | Author Bio | Five Fun Facts

Books in this series:

I also have 3 copies of My Immortal Assassin up for grabs courtesy of Hachette Book Group.


Rules:


Open to residents of the U.S & Canada
No P.O Boxes please :)
Winners are subject to the one copy per household rule
Ends February 12th
Please fill out the form to enter. Comments are appreciated, but will not count as an entry.

Source: Publisher