Threading the Needle by Gabriel Valjan

Title: Threading the Needle

Author: Gabriel Valjan

Series: Roma Series #3

Rating: 4.5 STARS!!

For Review From

Milan, Italy. Bianca's curiosity gets a young university student murdered, but not before he gives her a file that details a secret weapon under development with defense contractor Adastra. Guilt may drive her to find justice for the slain Charlie Brooks, but she is warned by the mysterious Loki to stay away from this case that runs deep with conspiracy. Bianca must find a way to uncover government secrets and corporate alliances without returning Italy to one of its darkest hours, the decades of daily terrorism known as the "Years of Lead."

~MY THOUGHTS~

We have made it back to Italy in this book, Milan to be exact. And I love that the author changes things up a bit and puts another character in the lime light. I loved Bianca as a main character, but it was nice getting another perspective. It kept the reading experience new. Farrugia is the character we see the most of in this book, but we still get Bianca in the story as well, which was good.

This installment has a few murder mysteries thrown in, and I was continuing to read to find out who did.

I'm finding it harder and harder to talk about these books in a coherent way because I have become so engrossed in them. I have mentioned before that this will be my first suspense type series I have read. I have always seen this genre from afar, and with Gabriel's writing, I am now in the middle, trying to figure out the mysteries as Bianca does, and now Farrugia. I love the characters in these books, they all work well together, and each installment sees each one fleshed out even more than before. We see Bianca grow so much in these books, and it's nice to have a character with growing room...who isn't already so perfect and already knows all the answers before everyone else. This makes the series even more addicting because you are there for the ride and not just the story of the mystery. So many turns and its a fast paced read!

I loved the added information we got on a part of history I had previously not been aware. It was interesting reading about this time in Italy's history, Years of Lead, and it prompted me to look into in further. I love when books give the reader information that is factual that they might not have known.

Most definitely recommend reading this series! Great read!!!

Author's Bio:

Gabriel Valjan lives in Boston, Massachusetts. He is the author of the Roma Series, available from Winter Goose Publishing. Gabriel has also written numerous short stories and essays found online and in print.

Connect with the author:  Website ~Twitter  ~ Facebook

Bloodrealms by Aurora Whittet

Title: Bloodrealms

Author: Aurora Whittet

Series: Bloodmark Saga #2

Received for Review

RATING: 5 STARS

Werewolf princess Ashling Boru's eighteenth birthday is only a year away, which means that she only has twelve months before she is claimed and fulfills her prophecy to unite the packs and lead her people. Her father decrees that her four suitors must fight in the Bloodrealms, the werewolves' ancient underground fighting world, and the winner will have King Boru's choice to win Ashling's hand. The wolf laws are rigid and barbaric, and Ashling's illicit love for Grey, if discovered, will mean his death. But when Ashling and Grey get trapped in the blood-soaked depths of the Bloodrealms, they find ancient horrors far greater than Ashling's father's rule.

With betrayal around every corner and old nemeses set to destroy Ashling, she is more divided than ever between the destiny she didn't choose and the love that she did. To make matters worse, her decision will not only set the course of her future, but the future of her entire race.

Bloodrealms is the second novel in Whittet’s Bloodmark saga.

MY THOUGHTS

I didn't think I would enjoy this book as much as I did the first one. I have a tendency to find sequels lacking, so I went into this with slightly lower expectations. I think that kind of worked in it's favor, because I really enjoyed this installment of the series as well.

Without going into a lot of the plot, as I tend to let spoilers out when I love books and start talking about different aspects of the story, I will say that the relationships in this book are just as tension filled and page turning as the last book. I loved reading about Grey and Ashling, and was rooting for them in the entire book.

This book sees Ashling's father being a complete tool again. He sponsors a sort of competition for Ashling's hand in marriage, even though she loves someone else... It's like he doesn't care. But I won't go into that either, because it will end in a rant of how much I thought that aspect of the book would make me hate this series. But, thankfully, it didn't.

I loved that again the characters were in the forefront of the story and all the action and plot were just kind of added background. It's really nice to read a story about a group of characters that you enjoy reading about, and they grow and transform right in front of you. I also feel that we get a better view of the culture of the wolves in this world. I liked that. I'm not very knowledgeable on werewolves in general, so to be informed on the ones in this series really helped solidify my love for this series.

I can't wait to get to the next one in the series. I highly recommend this series.

Wasp's Nest by Gabriel Valjan

Title: Wasp's Nest

Author: Gabriel Valjan

Series: Roma Series #2

Received for Review from:

RATING: 4.5 STARS

In the highly anticipated sequel to Roma, Underground, Bianca returns to the U.S. for her former employer, the covert organization Rendition, to investigate Cyril Sargent and Nasonia Pharmaceutical. Although ambivalent about the assignment and uneasy about her online “friend,” Loki, she is enticed into researching what Sargent is doing with insect genetics that might upset the world of cancer research and treatment. Old friends Farrugia and Gennaro uncover a twisted conspiracy from their past and join Bianca in Boston where they will experience conflicted loyalties, question allies, and confront uncertain enemies, as they're drawn into the wasp's nest.

MY THOUGHTS

This book brought a lot of my favorite things into play. I had never really been a huge fan of mystery books, but the first in this series made me a convert. But this sequel was so easy to enjoy because it brought in the concept of wasp genetics and an investigation of a pharmaceutical company. This made this book completely up my alley and I couldn't put it down. I picked it up this morning for a Halloween type read, and finished it in one sitting. I was so engrossed in the plot, and the characters, and the mystery that I couldn't stop reading. The added mystery of what the pharmaceutical company is doing with the wasp DNA kept me reading, and I liked that this case involved so much from my personal life (being a microbiology degree, it spoke to me :D )

I was excited to read about Bianca working back at Rendition, and has returned to Boston. I always like added intrigue in books, and it seems that her decision to come back to work for this organization might have lasting consequences? Like Dante. I am a sucker for these plot lines, and in this book it made me want to keep reading. 

I think that as a whole, I can say I'm loving this series. I never thought I would be attached to a series of mysteries, because I kind of thought they were one shot stand alones. But I know the appeal to them now. It's the characters that make the series worth reading on, and the mysteries and cases that crop up are added reading pleasure. I was on a small fence in the previous book, but Wasp's Nest pushed me over. I love this series, and can't wait to read book 3. 

This book was fast paced, and had so many surprises I didn't see coming. I loved that the plot took many different roads, and it takes the entire book and then some to finally grasp what is going on, or what you think is going on. 

I loved this book, and can't wait to read the next one in the series. I recommend this series to those who love mystery thriller series. I love the characters, and look forward to seeing what the author puts them through in the next installment. 

Author's Bio:

Gabriel Valjan lives in Boston, Massachusetts. He is the author of the Roma Series, available from Winter Goose Publishing. Gabriel has also written numerous short stories and essays found online and in print.

Connect with the author:  Website ~Twitter  ~ Facebook