Review: The Darkest Craving

THE DARKEST CRAVING
Lords of the Underworld #10
Gena Showalter
Paranormal Romance
472 pages
Harlequin
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Having endured weeks of torture in the bowels of hell, Kane wants nothing to do with his beautiful rescuer, Josephina Aisling. The half-Fae female threatens to awaken the demon of Disaster inside him—a beast he’s determined to kill, no matter the price.

Josephina is hunted by a brutal enemy—her royal family—and Kane is her only source of protection. He’s also the only male to ever set her aflame, and even he succumbs to the heat. But as they navigate the treacherous world of the Fae, they are forced to make a choice: live apart…or die together.

MY THOUGHTS
The Lords of the Underworld series is one that never disappoints, always delighting with a sinful combination of sexual tension and humor on the way to happily ever after. The Darkest Craving is another quick read despite its length, the darkness of what Kane endured in hell tempered by an adorable heroine in Josephina as well as the complete absurdity of series favorite, William, as he accompanies Kane to the land of the Fae.

While each of the Lords is in the unenviable position of housing one of the various demons released when they opened Pandora's Box, a handful of them have particularly brutal demonic companions that earn them a special place in our hearts long before we're given their story in full. Kane is one such Lord, his presence in previous books always one that garnered a wince or two in sympathy as his demon, Disaster, wreaked havoc time and again. When we meet up with him once again he's finally escaped hell and its endless torture thanks to Josephina's help, and we find him much changed as a result of his time there. He's plagued by nightmares and memories of both physical and sexual abuse, and we can't help but want to reach out and hug him despite the fact that he would recoil from our touch. He wastes no time pitying himself however, and once he sets his sights on Josephina we get to see the warrior in him on fully delicious display.

Though Kane's recent past is dark and we get fleeting glimpses of unimaginable brutality thanks to his flashbacks and nightmares, Ms. Showalter ensures our time with him isn't overwhelmingly heavy thanks to Josephina. Despite being a blood slave for her miserable excuse for a sister (meaning for every misstep her sister takes, Josephina receives the punishment) and seeking out Kane in order for him to kill her as her only means of escape, she's still a source of light in this story. She doesn't take herself too seriously, giving herself compliments here and there because she never receives them from anyone else, and standing up to those she can–without being suitably punished–using her quick wit and smart mouth.

Another source of lightness in this tale comes from the Fae themselves, a race so fascinated by the Lords that they've spied on their lives for hundreds of years, detailing their battles, antics, and sexual escapades in pieces of fiction read by Fae everywhere. The result is various Fae fan clubs dedicated to each Lord, and when Kane finds himself in the Fae realm, it's nothing short of hilarious to watch them get starstruck in his presence. 

Overall, The Darkest Craving is everything there is to love about this series, and is highly recommended for Showalter fans everywhere.

Rating: 4/5

Find Gena:

 

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

This book was sent to me by the publisher  free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

The Lords of the Underworld are going on tour! Well, the books are anyway. Be sure to follow along for more reviews and spotlights!

• Monday, March 28th: Read Love Blog – Series spotlight
• Tuesday, March 29th: Supernatural Snark **The Darkest Craving
• Tuesday, March 29th: Booked on a Feeling **The Darkest Night & The Darkest Kiss
• Thursday, March 31st: Bewitched Bookworms – spotlight, The Darkest Passion
• Friday, April 1st: Reading Reality **The Darkest Touch
• Monday, April 4th: Reader Girls **The Darkest Lie
• Tuesday, April 5th: Bibliotica **The Darkest Secret
• Wednesday, April 6th: Romancing the Book **The Darkest Seduction and The Darkest Craving
• Thursday, April 7th: From the TBR Pile **The Darkest Night
• Monday, April 11th: Lovely Reads  **The Darkest Whisper
• Monday, April 11th: Books that Hook **The Darkest Touch
• Tuesday, April 12th: Stranded in Chaos  **The Darkest Night, The Darkest Kiss, The Darkest Pleasure
• Wednesday, April 13th: Romancing the Readers **The Darkest Seduction
• Friday, April 15th: Bibliophilia, Please ** The Darkest Night

Review: Made For You

MADE FOR YOU
Melissa Marr
Young Adult/Mystery
368 pages
HarperCollins
Available Now
Source: BEA

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
When Eva Tilling wakes up in the hospital, she’s confused—who in her sleepy little North Carolina town could have hit her with their car? And why? But before she can consider the question, she finds that she’s awoken with a strange new skill: the ability to foresee people’s deaths when they touch her. While she is recovering from the hit-and-run, Nate, an old flame, reappears, and the two must traverse their rocky past as they figure out how to use Eva’s power to keep her friends—and themselves—alive. But while Eva and Nate grow closer, the killer grows increasingly frantic in his attempt to get to Eva.

For the first time, New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr has applied her extraordinary talent to contemporary realism. Chilling twists, unrequited obsession, and high-stakes romance drive this Gothic, racy thriller—a story of small-town oppression and salvation. Melissa’s fans, and every YA reader, will find its wild ride enthralling.

MY THOUGHTS
Made For You is the type of thriller we don’t realize we’re deeply invested in until we set it aside after reading the last page, marveling at the persistent ache in every muscle in our bodies from being tightly clenched for several hours straight. Eva’s story grabs us from page one and never once slows to let us catch our breath, her first person perspective chillingly contrasted with the first person narration of her would-be murderer to give us insight into the mental and emotional consequences for both victim and killer. Ms. Marr does a truly stunning job of crafting not only a page turner that keeps us up late reading, but also a story gorgeously character-driven at its heart.

When we first crack the spine of Made For You, we can’t help but wonder if we’re going to find a familiar setup in which the mystery stems from accident-induced amnesia, leaving Eva to relearn all the people in her life and how they fit into the increasing violence following her initial attack. Luckily though, Eva suffers no such amnesia and is well in possession of all her faculties post-near death experience, complete with an added death-centric precognitive ability. As a result, we don’t have to wade through the often tedious confusion and disorientation as a character struggles to remember, and instead simply get to leap into the middle of Eva’s waking nightmare.

Eva herself is a joy of a heroine, sitting atop the social hierarchy of her status-obsessed town but lacking the sense of entitlement that would usually accompany such a position. She’s aware that the tide of power flows toward those of wealth and reputation and recedes from those without it, but she doesn’t buy into it for a single moment. She’s surrounded by those of her ilk thanks in large part to the nature of small town life, but she also chooses the friends closest to her, and her choice has absolutely nothing to do with status or money. She speaks her mind, something we appreciate overall but particularly with regard to Nate, as she never fails to let him know the depth of the wounds he inflicted when he abandoned their friendship. Her love for him is obvious and painful in that it initially appears to be unrequited, but she doesn’t simply suffer in silence as so many young women do, instead she’s honest and willing to throw herself off the cliff of communication with no guarantee that kind words from him will be waiting to cushion her fall.

While Eva is a true highlight of Made For You, this review would not be complete without mentioning the haunting brilliance of the killer’s chapters. Each time we’re thrust into his head we find ourselves unable to sit still, the depth of his conviction that he’s but enduring God’s test for him so that he may earn Eva as a reward making us so uncomfortable we can’t help but squirm. Even more unsettling is the fact that he’s able to hide his fanaticism and delusion so well that those closest to him have not even the slightest of inklings that anything is amiss, and go on calling him friend until the moment they’re facedown in a foot of water without the strength to fight him off.

Overall, Made For You is a must-read for any and all who love the type of thriller where progress is marked by periodic gasping inhalations, so involved are we that we simply forget to breathe.

Rating: 4.5/5
 

Find Melissa:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon • B&N

This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

 

Waiting on Wednesday (+ Giveaway!): The Night Visitor

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine and is a fun way to see what books other bloggers just can't wait to get their hands on!

THE NIGHT VISITOR

Dianne Emley

Paranormal Thriller/Mystery

Available Now

From Goodreads:

In bestselling author Dianne Emley’s chilling new paranormal thriller, a beautiful woman’s romantic past comes back to haunt her in the form of an otherworldly visitor seeking justice.
 
Gorgeous and successful, Rory Langtry seemed to have it all. Daughter of a movie star and sister of a supermodel, Rory was engaged to sexy artist, Junior Lara. But her bright future went dark one terrible, bloody night that left her sister dead and the accused murderer—Junior—in an extended coma.

Now, five years later, Rory appears to have put the past behind her. She has a wonderful new fiancé and heads a successful cosmetics company. Yet dark secrets threaten. Across town, Junior lies close to death but before he departs he seeks to clear his name.

It starts with a feeling. It turns into a vision. Soon Rory is having sensations that only Junior could experience—from the horrifying to the erotic. Then she learns details about the awful night that only Junior could know, newfound knowledge with potentially fatal consequences. When another act of violence rocks her family, Rory plunges deeper into the unsolved mystery, led by an inexplicable visitor to a dangerous time and place where all will be revealed at last. But until then, Junior will not let her go.

Find Dianne and The Night Visitor

  

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon 

Confession: I've recently become OBSESSED with the TV show Criminal Minds. My husband and I discovered it one Friday night about a month ago and we've been binge watching it ever since. I'm talking anywhere from 2-6 episodes per day. We can't stop. It's so good. And horrifying. And haunting. Since I'm on a Criminal Minds kick, I've been craving a good mystery/thriller read, so I couldn't be more excited for The Night Visitor. Luckily for me, this book actually released last week so I have no wait whatsoever and can revel in the instant gratification of it all. *rubs hands together with glee*

As a little special add on today thanks to TLC Book Tours and Alibi, I have not only a copy of The Night Visitor to give away, but also a $25 gift card to the eBook retailer of your choice. Good luck everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, September 8th: From the TBR Pile
Tuesday, September 9th: Bewitched Bookworms
Wednesday, September 10th: No More Grumpy Bookseller
Thursday, September 11th: Peeking Between the Pages
Friday, September 12th:  Bibliophilia, Please

Monday, September 15th: Saints and Sinners Books
Tuesday, September 16th: Musings of a Bookish Kitty
Wednesday, September 17th: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Thursday, September 18th: Tiffany’s Bookshelf

Monday, September 22nd: Back Porchervations
Monday, September 22nd:  Lovely Reads
Tuesday, September 23rd:  Booked on a Feeling 
Wednesday, September 24th:  Bound By Words 
Wednesday, September 24th:  Supernatural Snark
Thursday, September 25th:  Stitch Read Cook

Giveaway: The Betrayed

Today I have the pleasure of giving away The Betrayed, the fourteenth installment of Heather Graham's Krewe of Hunters series. I know some of you are going to see the word "fourteenth" and decide you'll never be able to get caught up on this series, but FEAR NOT, each book works as a standalone. I read the previous book, The Hexed, having not read the prior twelve, and absolutely adored it. I never once felt lost or out of sorts, and Ms. Graham writes some outstanding paranormal romantic suspense stories!

I'm lucky enough to have a copy of The Betrayed to give away on the blog today, but before you guys scroll down to the Rafflecopter, find out what's in store for you in this newest installment (it's oh-so perfect for Halloween)!

THE BETRAYED

Sleepy Hollow isn't so sleepy anymore...

One night, New York FBI agent Aiden Mahoney receives a visitor in a dream–an old friend named Richard Highsmith. The very next day he's sent to Sleepy Hollow because Richard's gone missing there.

Maureen--Mo--Deauville now lives in the historic town and works with her dog, Rollo, to search for missing people. She's actually the one to find Richard... or more precisely his head, stuck on a statue of the legendary Headless Horseman.

Mo and Aiden, a new member of the Krewe of Hunters, the FBI's unit of paranormal investigators, explore both past and present events to figure out who betrayed Richard, who killed him and now wants to kill them, too. As they work together, they discover that they share an unusual trait–the ability to communicate with the dead. They also share an attraction that's as intense as it is unexpected...if they live long enough to enjoy it!

Amazon • Goodreads

• • • • • • • • • • •

HEATHER GRAHAM

New York Times and USA TODAY  bestselling author Heather Graham has written more than a hundred novels and has been published in more than 20 languages. An avid scuba diver, ballroom dancer and the mother of five, she enjoys her south Florida home, but loves to travel as well, from locations such as Cairo, Egypt, to her own backyard, the Florida Keys. Reading is still the pastime she still loves best, and she is a member of many writing groups. She’s a winner of the Romance Writers of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Thriller Writers’ Silver Bullet. She is an active member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America, and also the founder of The Slush Pile Players, an author band and theatrical group.

Heather annually hosts the Writers for New Orleans conference to benefit both the city, which is near and dear to her heart, and various other causes, and she hosts a ball each year at the RT Booklovers Convention to benefit pediatric AIDS foundations.

Website • Twitter • Facebook

• • • • • • • • • • •

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to TLC Book Tours, Harlequin and Heather Graham, I have one copy of The Betrayed to give away. A reminder that despite being a part of the Krewe of Hunters series, this book is its own story and can be read as such. Please enter via the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US/Can only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to check out all the remaining stops on the tour for more reviews, interviews, and chances to win!

Monday, September 15th: From the TBR Pile
Monday, September 15th: Books a la Mode – Spotlight and giveaway
Tuesday, September 16th: Bewithced Bookworms
Wednesday, September 17th: Snowdrop Dreams of Books
Thursday, September 18th: Ladybug Literature
Friday, September 19th: Supernatural Snark – Spotlight and giveaway

Monday, September 22nd: Read – Love – Blog
Tuesday, September 23rd: A Chick Who Reads
Wednesday, September 24th:  Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile
Thursday, September 25th: Queen of All She Reads

Monday, September 29th: Saints and Sinners Books
Tuesday, September 30th:  Mom in Love with Fiction
Thursday, October 2nd: Musings of a Bookish Kitty

Monday, October 6th:  Bibliophilia, Please
Wednesday, October 8th: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Thursday, October 9th:  No More Grumpy Bookseller

Monday, October 13th: Peeking Between the Pages
Wednesday, October 15th:  Bibliotica

Monday, October 20th:  Tiffany’s Bookshelf
Tuesday, October 21st: My Shelf Confessions – Wonderfully Wicked Read-A-Thon Giveaway
Thursday, October 23rd: Harlie’s Books

Review + Giveaway: The Hexed

THE HEXED
Krewe of Hunters #13
Heather Graham
Adult Paranormal Romantic Suspense
400 pages
Harlequin MIRA
Available Now
Source: from TLC Book Tours for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
A place of history, secrets...and witchcraft.

Devin Lyle has recently returned to the Salem area, but her timing couldn't be worse. Soon after she moved into the eighteenth-century cabin she inherited from her great-aunt Mina—her "crazy" great-aunt, who spoke to the dead—a woman was murdered nearby.

Craig Rockwell—known as Rocky—is a new member of the Krewe of Hunters, the FBI's team of paranormal investigators. He never got over finding a friend dead in the woods. Now another body's been found in those same woods, not far from the home of Devin Lyle. And Devin's been led to a third body—by...a ghost?

Her discovery draws them both deeper into the case and Salem's rich and disturbing history. Even as the danger mounts, Devin and Rocky begin to fall for each other, something the ghosts of Mina and past witches seem to approve of. But the two of them need every skill they possess to learn the truth—or Devin's might be the next body in the woods...

MY THOUGHTS
The Hexed, despite being book thirteen in the Krewe of Hunters series, reads beautifully as a stand-alone murder mystery, blurring past and present as the horrors of the witch trials find life and death once again in modern-day Salem. Many times with paranormal mysteries that involve law enforcement, we as readers are subjected to a somewhat tedious progression from doubt to true belief with regards to the supernatural, either the hero or heroine taking a great deal of time to come to terms with the less scientifically explainable aspects of their case. With The Hexed however, we find zero hesitation from both Rocky and Devin, the two of them fully accepting the role of the paranormal in their lives despite not having an inordinate amount of experience with it; thereby allowing us to settle into the story quickly and easily, free as we are of their supernatural reservations.

Devin and Rocky are both smart and savvy individuals, methodical in their approach to finding the killer and thankfully not prone to any type of horror-movie stunts or antics to draw the killer out. Devin is a writer of children's books, and while she is a vital part of the investigation throughout, she never sticks her nose where it doesn't belong or isn't invited in an attempt to play detective. Instead, she listens to those with a badge and volunteers information when it seems relevant, always aiding them rather than hindering them with her presence.

Rocky is as intelligent and easily likable as Devin, and though his personal connection to the murders is a driving force behind his desire to see the killer come to justice, he's not so obsessed with the case that he can't see the forest for the trees. Like Devin, he listens to those around him and doesn't try to run roughshod over anyone on his team, instead valuing the different angles and approaches to the case each of them provides. When it comes to the romance between he and Devin, he's clearly attracted (as is she), but it's a very subtle aspect of the story, the tension between them just enough to make the romantic in us sit up and take notice.

Ms. Graham thoroughly entertains with the murder mystery element, her research on the Salem Witch Trials clearly extensive and perfectly integrated into the story so that we learn things we never knew without enduring the tedium of a full-on history lesson. With a large suspect pool to choose from, we're constantly kept on our toes, red herrings popping up chapter after chapter before being removed from the suspect list, only to find their way back on it a while later. The revolving door of plausible killers causes the gears in our minds to constantly turn, our guesses as to who the murderer could possibly be a running commentary even as we move through our day to day lives. Overall, The Hexed is quick and action-packed with a strong cast of characters and a fascinating look at Salem past and present, and I thoroughly look forward to going back and starting this series from the beginning.

Rating: 4/5
 

Buy The Hexed:

Amazon • Books-A-Million • Barnes & Noble

• • • • • • • • • • • 

HEATHER GRAHAM

New York Times and USA TODAY  bestselling author Heather Graham has written more than a hundred novels and has been published in more than 20 languages. An avid scuba diver, ballroom dancer and the mother of five, she enjoys her south Florida home, but loves to travel as well, from locations such as Cairo, Egypt, to her own backyard, the Florida Keys. Reading is still the pastime she still loves best, and she is a member of many writing groups. She’s a winner of the Romance Writers of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Thriller Writers’ Silver Bullet. She is an active member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America, and also the founder of The Slush Pile Players, an author band and theatrical group.

Heather annually hosts the Writers for New Orleans conference to benefit both the city, which is near and dear to her heart, and various other causes, and she hosts a ball each year at the RT Booklovers Convention to benefit pediatric AIDS foundations.

Website • Twitter • Facebook

• • • • • • • • • • •

GIVEAWAY

One lucky winner will have their choice of The Cursed, The Hexed and The Betrayed. A reminder that despite being a part of the Krewe of Hunters series, each book is its own story and can be read as a stand-alone. Please enter via the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US/Can only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to check out all the remaining stops on the tour for more reviews, interviews, and chances to win!

Monday, August 11th: Supernatural Snark
Wednesday, August 13th:  Tiffany’s Bookshelf
Thursday, August 14th:  Reading Reality

Monday, August 18th: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Tuesday, August 19th: Saints and Sinners Books
Wednesday, August 20th: From the TBR Pile
Thursday, August 21st: Musings of a Bookish Kitty

Monday, August 25th: Read-Love-Blog
Tuesday, August 26th: Snowdrop Dreams of Books
Wednesday, August 27th: Queen of All She Reads
Friday, August 29th: Peeking Between the Pages

Tuesday, September 2nd: Bewitched Bookworms
Tuesday September 2nd: Books a la Mode – guest post/giveaway
Wednesday, September 3rd: Ladybug Literature
Thursday, September 4th:  No More Grumpy Bookseller

Monday, September 8th: A Chick Who Reads
Wednesday, September 10th:  Bibliophilia, Please
Friday, September 12th:  Bibliotica

Monday, September 15th:  Mom in Love with Fiction
Thursday, September 18th: Harlie’s Books

Review: Fallen

FALLEN
Guardian Trilogy #1
Laury Falter
Paranormal Young Adult
Self-published
Available Now
Received through TLC Book Tours for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Maggie is unaware of the terrifying fate that awaits her. It isn’t until she lands in New Orleans for a full year at a private high school and her unknown enemies find her does she realize that her life is in danger.

As a mystifying stranger repeatedly intervenes and blocks the attempts on her life, she begins to learn that there is more to him than his need to protect her and that he may be the key to understanding why her enemies have just now arrived.

MY THOUGHTS
Fallen is a fast, explosive read, introducing us to Maggie quickly and then thrusting us into the middle of her world as her life transitions from nomadic to stationary and becomes increasingly dangerous as a result. As with many books that progress rapidly, we don’t quite to get to know the rather large cast of characters as well as we might like, moving from one threat on Maggie’s life to another with very few quiet moments in between to help us figure out who Maggie is outside her status as a target. Though we don’t get to spend as much time piecing together the chains that link our hearts to hers as we desire, Ms. Falter does craft some intriguing characters overall, each with the potential to be extraordinarily memorable if we were to be granted just a touch more access to them.

Maggie is a bit abrasive in the opening chapters, her “I don’t need anyone to look out for me” attitude understandable given her fairly independent life after the death of her parents when she was younger, but though we might understand the reasons behind her brisk dismissal of many a character when they're first introduced, it still makes it a challenge to fully embrace her. Eventually she lays off the snark a bit and warms to both her new housemates as well as a friend at school, allowing us to settle into her shoes a little more and not feel so out of place with her first person narration.

Her relationship with Eran starts out antagonistic and progresses slowly as she’s thankfully wary of his sudden appearances and disappearances in her times of need, but just as we’re applauding Maggie for taking her time emotionally with Eran, she surprises us with a fairly abrupt declaration of love. Her feelings clearly grow the more time she spends with him, but she seems to progress from simply wanting to see him more often to being in love in a matter of minutes, leaving us floundering as we wish their romance could have continued as it had been without those four little letters coming into play.

Despite the drawbacks, Fallen easily grabs our attention and holds it throughout, the war between Maggie and those who want her dead clearly just beginning as we reach the last chapter. We are left to wonder exactly why the Fallen Ones are after Maggie in the first place, the only reason given a vague reference to her being able to destroy them, but we’re denied any details as to how she, specifically, might be capable of such a thing. Given that this is the first of a trilogy however, it’s fairly safe to assume more answers will be forthcoming in the next two installments.

Rating: 3/5

Be sure and check out the remaining tour stops for Fallen:

Monday, February 4th:  A Buckeye Girl Reads

Tuesday, February 5th:  Supernatural Snark

Wednesday, February 6th:  Sara’s Organized Chaos

Thursday, February 7th:  Paperback Princess

Friday, February 8th:  Book Sniffers Anonymous

Monday, February 11th:  I Am A Reader, Not A Writer 

Tuesday, February 12th:  Oh! Paper Pages

Wednesday, February 13th:  Good Girl Gone Redneck

Friday, February 15th:  From L.A. to LA

Monday, February 18th:  Literally Jen

Tuesday, February 19th:  From the TBR Pile

Wednesday, February 20th:  A Booklover’s Library

Thursday, February 21st:  Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile 

Tuesday, February 26th:  The Written World

Wednesday, February 27th:  Drey’s Library

Review + Giveaway: The Hypnotist

THE HYPNOTIST
(Reincarnationist #3)
M. J. Rose
Thriller/Mystery
416 pages
Mira
Available Now
Received for review via TLC Book Tours

Normally, I write my own synopsis for every book I review, but due to the complicated nature of this book I'm not sure I can adequately sum up the story in a way that won't royally confuse you all, so I've taken the description from M.J. Rose's website:

THE STORY
An FBI agent, tormented by a death he wasn't able to prevent, a crime he's never been able to solve and a love he's never forgotten, discovers that his true conflict resides not in his past, but in a…Past Life.

Haunted by a twenty-year old murder of a beautiful young painter, Lucian Glass keeps his demons at bay through his fascinating work as a Special Agent with the FBI's Art Crime Team. Currently investigating a crazed art collector who has begun destroying prized masterworks, Glass is thrust into a bizarre hostage negotiation that takes him undercover at the Phoenix Foundation—dedicated to the science of past life study—where, in order to maintain his cover, he agrees to submit to the treatment of a hypnotist.

Under hypnosis, Glass travels from ancient Greece to 19th century Persia, while the case takes him from New York to Paris and the movie capital of world. These journeys will change his very understanding of reality, lead him to question his own sanity and land him at the center of perhaps the most audacious art heist in history: the theft of a 1,500 year old sculpture from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

MY THOUGHTS
The Hypnotist is a story that combines an interesting array of elements–from murder and mystery to robberies both past and present to a touch of the paranormal with the possibility of past-life regression and reincarnation. We are undoubtedly intrigued by the number of storylines presented, infinitely curious to see how all these seemingly separate characters and events will prove to be linked in either the smallest or most profound of ways. That being said however, the constant shuffle from one set of characters to another in the beginning is a bit overwhelming. We want to know more about the characters we meet, but with each chapter someone new is introduced, a new storyline begins, and we often don't return to already familiar individuals for several chapters, giving us plenty of time to temporarily forget the specifics of their piece of the puzzle and have to backtrack to get caught up.

The concept of reincarnation is one of the more fascinating aspects though, spiriting us away to places and events that keep our eyes riveted to the pages as we wonder how what we're experiencing is going to tie into the present. We get tiny snapshots of the past–little clues to help us paint a clearer picture of the characters we know in the current time period–that force us to question whether we believe in such a possibility as past lives and, if we do, what ours might have been like. The only drawback to this particular element is again the complex nature of it, adding so many dots to the picture we're not sure we'll ever be able to connect them all by the time we're done reading or even after. Those who have an abundance of patience for detail-oriented stories will likely revel in this elaborate tale, but for others like me who enjoy a plot that makes you work but not to the extent where you begin to feel defeated by the immensity of the puzzle, this book might be a bit of a challenge to find your way through.

Overall, The Hypnotist will appeal to fans of complicated mysteries and thrillers, with the lack of strong character connection in favor of intricate plotlines being less problematic for those who are used to it. A few less brush strokes used to create the final piece of artwork might have allowed for an easier relationship with the book as a whole, but there's no denying Ms. Rose's writing skill or her creative ability.

Rating: 3/5

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to TLC Book Tours and M. J. Rose I have one copy of The Hypnotist to give away to a lucky commenter today! To enter, please just leave a comment with a valid email address so I can contact you if you win. This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only and will run through midnight EST on Friday, June 24th after which time a winner will be chosen and announced on the blog. Good luck everyone!