Review: The Shattered Court by M.J. Scott

The Shattered Court (A Novel of the Four Arts #1) by M.J. Scott 
Expected publication: April 28th 2015 by Roc

First in a new fantasy series from the author of the Novels of the Half-Light City. Entangled in a court ruled by tradition and intrigue, a young witch must come to terms with newfound power and desire—and a choice between loyalty and survival.…
The royal witches of Anglion have bowed to tradition for centuries. If a woman of royal blood manifests powers, she is immediately bound by rites of marriage. She will serve her lord by practicing the tamer magics of the earth—ensuring good harvests and predicting the weather. Any magic more dangerous is forbidden. Lady Sophia Kendall, thirty-second in line to the throne, is only days away from finding out if she will be blessed—or perhaps cursed—with magic. When a vicious attack by Anglion’s ancient enemies leaves the kingdom in chaos, Sophia is forced to flee the court. Her protector by happenstance is Lieutenant Cameron Mackenzie, a member of the royal guard, raised all his life to be fiercely loyal to the Crown. Then Sophia’s powers manifest stronger than she ever imagined they would, and Cameron and she are inextricably linked in the process. As a witch unbound by marriage rites, Sophia is not only a threat to the established order of her country, but is also a weapon for those who seek to destroy it. Faced with old secrets and new truths, she must decide if she will fight for her country or succumb to the delicious temptation of power.…

My Thoughts

*This is an adult book*

I was incredibly intrigued by the premise of this book. A line of royal witches coming into power seasoned with court inner workings is my cup of tea for sure. This book definitely delivered on the court drama. I also enjoyed that this was an adult book. I saw it categorized as YA on goodreads so imagine my (pleasant) surprise when it when into some pretty graphic sex scenes. 

M.J. Scott did a wonderful painting the vivid world of Anglion. A place where there is magic coming from the Earth, fire, blood, and water. The majority of royal witches manifest a small amount of earth magic if any on their 16th birthday. Sophia is no different...well maybe a lil different. She has the strongest manifest scene in ages which puts her life in grave danger. She was 32nd in line for the crown until a horrific accident upjumped her. Suddenly Sophia's life is turned upside down. The history that was contributed through various supporting characters is meticulously detailed. In a short period of time I had a firm grasp on the whole situation which made the rest of the book really enjoyable. I wasn't left in the dark while trying to work out missing pieces. While a bit predictable at times, it still held my interest. I was dying to know what was going to happen next and who the enemy really was.

I enjoyed Sophia's character immensely. She may be a lady of the court and acts quit proper but she is also fearless. This is evident pretty early on. Lieutenant Cameron was also a perfect perspective to follow. He had honor but was still a human being. They are both trying very hard to make due with the cards they were dealt so it's interesting to watch their bond strengthen.

My one tiny quam would be the pacing was a bit off at times. It seemed to move fast in the beginning then slowed, then picked up, then slowed, then picked up near the end. As I have mentioned I am all for court politics but sometimes it was a bit even for me. Some of the scene just seemed to be fillers unless they will play a role in the future book which remains to be seen. Still a great ADULT FANTASY SERIES in the works here!! I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book. Things really started to get interesting.

4 Snowflakes

Review: Devil's Bargain by Rachel Caine

Devil's Bargain by Rachel Caine
Publisher-Harlequin UK Ltd
Release- Oct 5th 2012
Purchase-Amazon / B & N

Jazz Callender is an ex-cop struggling to prove her partner's innocence after he is sent to prison for murder, and she's willing to take whatever help comes along ... but she's about to make a bargain with the devil. Approached by a mysterious, attractive stranger with a check and a business offer, she finds herself plunged deep into a world where nothing is as it seems ... not James Borden, Attorney At Law, who fascinates her even as she doubts his honesty ... not Lucia Garza, her beautiful, brilliant new partner with hidden depths and secrets ... not The Cross Society, who seems to be able to know more about the cases she's being sent to investigate than Jazz does herself. With each new revelation, Jazz and Lucia uncover a world of psychic predictions and unseen forces, and find themselves playing not just for keeps, but for souls ... With lives at stake, Jazz finds that every choice she makes is dangerous ... even the one to fall in love.

My Thoughts:
I am such a Rachel Caine fan! True, I've only read one other adult book that she's written, which was the first book in her Weather Warden series, which I loved, but I'm the biggest Morganville fan evah!!
And it's that simply fact that I wanted to read this book. See, I'm not a big reader on detective type books and I'm still easing my way into adult reads, but I'll read anything Caine puts to pen.

Devil's Bargain starts off with ex-cop Jasmine Callender (Jazz) at a local bar trying to drown her worries away thinking about her ex-partner McCarthy in prison, when a guy comes strolling in and hands her a red envelope, changing her entire life. She's offered a lot of money to work with a non-profit organization that also sets her up with a new qualified partner. Jazz needs the money. Lucia needs the challenge. They're the perfect team. Only things aren't exactly what they seem and Jazz and Lucia play a bigger role then they could have possibly imagined.

This book is very different then what I thought it was going to be about. It has a little bit of everything. It's a detective novel, a mystery-thriller, part-paranormal and even has a touch of romance. 
I liked the story line. I found it a tad creepy with its dark background and the unsettled feeling of something bigger and unknown following the story around like a black cloud. But I have to admit it took a bit to wrap my head around the whole Actors/Chorus/Leads explanation and the complications and the consequences that surely follows. Yeah, I'm actually not gonna try to explain that. You'll see what I mean when you read the book.
Still, Caine brought a lot of unique and fresh ideas for this particular genre that fans will surly appreciate. While I may not have loved this the way I wanted to, I still found myself consumed from start to finish.

If there is one thing that Caine seems to nail in any book she's ever written is the remarkable way she develops her characters.
They all seem to have something in common. They are all instantly easy to connect with, likable and enjoyable to read about. The characters in this book are no different.
Jazz can seem like a giant pain. She comes fully loaded with pure attitude and sarcastic wit, she's a bit paranoid (okay a lot) but proves how truly bad-ass and capable she really is. She tends to question everything and while I usually would find lack of faith in a character to be annoying, in this case, Jazz was right on the money. The strangeness of it all is very hard to swallow.
I liked her and Lucia's banter and the way they look out for one another. They may have been two strangers thrown together for a bigger purpose but it was good to see them develop a kindred friendship. They really do make an excellent team.
As for the romance? There is some but not a huge amount. I found James and Jazz to be such a funny and unlikely pair. She's wild, careless and unpredictable while he's intelligent, educated and confident. And yet, it turned out to be this really sweet and inevitable thing. Oh! And the fruit basket scene? Adorable! 
One last character shout-out goes to Manny. He has a sad and horrible tale, but I really loved what he brought into this story.

All in all, this turned out to be a really good read. It's action packed, creatively cunning and has a mean punch. It's an interesting whodunit story with a twist of paranormal that only Caine can accomplish.
It may not be a favorite, but it was still quite the experience. Caine continues to amaze me and makes me curious enough to want to know what happens next in; Devil's Due!

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                                                                    3.5 snowflakes