Killian's Dead and May Day (Seekers Series, books 0.5 and 1)

By Josie Jaffrey

Killian's Dead Blurb:
Love is for losers.
Jack doesn't care about anything except music. All she wants to do is find a decent gig, stand by the speakers and let the bass roll through her. It's the only reason she gets out of bed.
Until she meets Winta. In the space of a second, everything is different. Winta knows what she wants and for one night, what she wants is Jack. It feels like the start of forever.
Then Winta disappears and Jack faces a choice: should she go back to her life, or track down the only girl who can change it beyond recognition?
One things' certain: Jack has no idea what she's getting herself into.

May Day Blurb:
If the murderer you’re tracking is a vampire, then you want a vampire detective. Just maybe not this one.

It’s not that Jack Valentine is bad at her job. The youngest member of Oxford’s Seekers has an impressive track record, but she also has an impressive grudge against the local baron, Killian Drake.
When a human turns up dead on May Morning, she’s determined to pin the murder on Drake. The problem is that none of the evidence points to him. Instead, it leads Jack into a web of conspiracy involving the most powerful people in the country, people to whom Jack has no access. But she knows someone who does.
To get to the truth, Jack will have to partner up with her worst enemy. As long as she can keep her cool, Drake will point her to the ringleaders, she’ll find the murderer and no one else will have to die.
Body bags on standby.

May Day is the first book in Josie Jaffrey’s Seekers series, an urban fantasy series set in Oxford, England.

Review:
I received both of these books as ARC’s for an honest review. I was really happy to receive it as a physical book rather than an ebook and they both came signed which I just really appreciate. I will try to keep the review as spoiler free as possible but it will be hard to not spoil the short story when discussing May Day but I will try. If you don’t want it spoiled, skip the May Day review.

Killian's Dead Review: 
This is a short story that accompanies May Day. I would recommend reading it because it makes some of May Day make more sense. It’s only about 23 pages long so it’s really quick but with vital background information.

This short story is about Jack Valentine who is the main character in the Seekers Series. It’s set in Oxford UK. Which is quite a unique setting for a book, for me anyway. It’s about her time clubbing and having a good time. She meets a girl and falls in love with her, then things take a turn.

At first, I was worried it was going to be a romance heavy book but that’s not how it was at all. Yes there are romance elements in both books but I would say they are the B plot especially for May Day. 

As I was reading the short story, I wasn’t a big fan of the main character but this changed as I read more of her in May Day. So if you don’t like her at first then you should hopefully like her in the next book.

The ending of the book was perfect and the final sentence was beautifully done. I would say overall this short story is 4 stars and that’s just because I didn’t enjoy Jack too much in this one.

May Day Review: 
Now onto the main book of the series. This book is about vampires that are known as Silvers due to the colours in the eyes. This isn’t really made clear in the short story until near the end of the short story. It takes place 20 years later as Jack is now a fully fledged vampire working for an organisation known as Seekers. They help make sure the Silvers don’t leak out their secret by not killing humans discreetly. So this adds an interesting detective element to a untypical vampire story.

The main plot is that Jack needs to find out who killed a human that was found publicly dead. Silvers can smell when a silver has hurt a human which is how they can decipher when a crime is by humans or by silvers. Jack needs to solve the case but their is conspiracy complications but she also to deal with difficulties with some love interests. 

The vampires in this story had some unique traits compared to other series I have read. They need to drink blood for energy but they still get hungry and eat regular food. Day time doesn’t affect them at all. They still live forever but I think they need to be burned or beheaded to actually die. They have a strong sense of smell, extra strength, hearing etc. The thing I found most interesting was the ‘mark’. This was a scent left on someone you claimed as property essentially. Someone you would kiss but with enough love that they are yours but both people need to reciprocate the feelings for it to work. 

I also want to quickly mention how this series is very LGBT+ friendly. The main character is bi-sexual. You’ve also got other representative characters which is nice.It’s also worth noting there is a fair bit of swearing but I wouldn’t say it was excessive, it suits the character and doesn’t feel forced. I don’t mind swearing in books when done like that.

One thing I loved about this book was the majority of the chapters were 10 pages long. It’s the perfect chapter length and it was so consistent. I really appreciate that.

I really enjoyed the natural flow of the book. The characters' conversations were so normal and enjoyable. Sometimes even funny. One friendship I really loved was Jack and her detective partner Cam. They just got on so well and would have really fun moments together.

One thing in the book that stood out was a vampire cocktail recipe. Involving blood and alcohol but also included alcohol drinking rules. It’s just something different for me seeing the social side of vampires, they even played ring of fire; a drinking game I never expected to appear in a book. To be honest the vampire part of the book wasn’t a huge element. It was more about solving the crime. But I didn’t mind as I was enjoying having both elements. 

Something noteworthy is that there was a spelling error on page 214. It should say ‘thought’. I hope that was removed for the real book publication. 

I think the element that I didn’t enjoy as much was the ending. However, I’m sure there is a book 2 eventually which will make things feel more finalised. I’ll accept the ending more based on book 2.

I decided to give it 4 stars, as I did enjoy reading it but I wouldn’t say it was necessarily 5 star level. Book 2 has that potential to rise.

Rating: 4 runes out of 5

written by Lauren

Killian's Dead and May Day (Seekers Series, books 0.5 and 1)

By Josie Jaffrey

Killian's Dead Blurb:
Love is for losers.
Jack doesn't care about anything except music. All she wants to do is find a decent gig, stand by the speakers and let the bass roll through her. It's the only reason she gets out of bed.
Until she meets Winta. In the space of a second, everything is different. Winta knows what she wants and for one night, what she wants is Jack. It feels like the start of forever.
Then Winta disappears and Jack faces a choice: should she go back to her life, or track down the only girl who can change it beyond recognition?
One things' certain: Jack has no idea what she's getting herself into.

May Day Blurb:
If the murderer you’re tracking is a vampire, then you want a vampire detective. Just maybe not this one.

It’s not that Jack Valentine is bad at her job. The youngest member of Oxford’s Seekers has an impressive track record, but she also has an impressive grudge against the local baron, Killian Drake.
When a human turns up dead on May Morning, she’s determined to pin the murder on Drake. The problem is that none of the evidence points to him. Instead, it leads Jack into a web of conspiracy involving the most powerful people in the country, people to whom Jack has no access. But she knows someone who does.
To get to the truth, Jack will have to partner up with her worst enemy. As long as she can keep her cool, Drake will point her to the ringleaders, she’ll find the murderer and no one else will have to die.
Body bags on standby.

May Day is the first book in Josie Jaffrey’s Seekers series, an urban fantasy series set in Oxford, England.

Review:
I received both of these books as ARC’s for an honest review. I was really happy to receive it as a physical book rather than an ebook and they both came signed which I just really appreciate. I will try to keep the review as spoiler free as possible but it will be hard to not spoil the short story when discussing May Day but I will try. If you don’t want it spoiled, skip the May Day review.

Killian's Dead Review: 
This is a short story that accompanies May Day. I would recommend reading it because it makes some of May Day make more sense. It’s only about 23 pages long so it’s really quick but with vital background information.

This short story is about Jack Valentine who is the main character in the Seekers Series. It’s set in Oxford UK. Which is quite a unique setting for a book, for me anyway. It’s about her time clubbing and having a good time. She meets a girl and falls in love with her, then things take a turn.

At first, I was worried it was going to be a romance heavy book but that’s not how it was at all. Yes there are romance elements in both books but I would say they are the B plot especially for May Day. 

As I was reading the short story, I wasn’t a big fan of the main character but this changed as I read more of her in May Day. So if you don’t like her at first then you should hopefully like her in the next book.

The ending of the book was perfect and the final sentence was beautifully done. I would say overall this short story is 4 stars and that’s just because I didn’t enjoy Jack too much in this one.

May Day Review: 
Now onto the main book of the series. This book is about vampires that are known as Silvers due to the colours in the eyes. This isn’t really made clear in the short story until near the end of the short story. It takes place 20 years later as Jack is now a fully fledged vampire working for an organisation known as Seekers. They help make sure the Silvers don’t leak out their secret by not killing humans discreetly. So this adds an interesting detective element to a untypical vampire story.

The main plot is that Jack needs to find out who killed a human that was found publicly dead. Silvers can smell when a silver has hurt a human which is how they can decipher when a crime is by humans or by silvers. Jack needs to solve the case but their is conspiracy complications but she also to deal with difficulties with some love interests. 

The vampires in this story had some unique traits compared to other series I have read. They need to drink blood for energy but they still get hungry and eat regular food. Day time doesn’t affect them at all. They still live forever but I think they need to be burned or beheaded to actually die. They have a strong sense of smell, extra strength, hearing etc. The thing I found most interesting was the ‘mark’. This was a scent left on someone you claimed as property essentially. Someone you would kiss but with enough love that they are yours but both people need to reciprocate the feelings for it to work. 

I also want to quickly mention how this series is very LGBT+ friendly. The main character is bi-sexual. You’ve also got other representative characters which is nice.It’s also worth noting there is a fair bit of swearing but I wouldn’t say it was excessive, it suits the character and doesn’t feel forced. I don’t mind swearing in books when done like that.

One thing I loved about this book was the majority of the chapters were 10 pages long. It’s the perfect chapter length and it was so consistent. I really appreciate that.

I really enjoyed the natural flow of the book. The characters' conversations were so normal and enjoyable. Sometimes even funny. One friendship I really loved was Jack and her detective partner Cam. They just got on so well and would have really fun moments together.

One thing in the book that stood out was a vampire cocktail recipe. Involving blood and alcohol but also included alcohol drinking rules. It’s just something different for me seeing the social side of vampires, they even played ring of fire; a drinking game I never expected to appear in a book. To be honest the vampire part of the book wasn’t a huge element. It was more about solving the crime. But I didn’t mind as I was enjoying having both elements. 

Something noteworthy is that there was a spelling error on page 214. It should say ‘thought’. I hope that was removed for the real book publication. 

I think the element that I didn’t enjoy as much was the ending. However, I’m sure there is a book 2 eventually which will make things feel more finalised. I’ll accept the ending more based on book 2.

I decided to give it 4 stars, as I did enjoy reading it but I wouldn’t say it was necessarily 5 star level. Book 2 has that potential to rise.

Rating: 4 runes out of 5

written by Lauren

Midnight Wings (Rove City Series, book 1)

By Ariele Sieling

Blurb: 
In El's fantasies, she pilots a fighter jet for the intergalactic fleet. In reality, she's a mechanic whose social grid ranking guarantees she'll never advance beyond the lowest grunt work, and a slave in all but name to her cruel and self-centered stepmother and stepsisters. The most she can hope for is a few stolen moments of happiness practicing on her sisters' flight simulators, or talking to the mysterious stranger she met on an illicit night of stargazing.

When the queen announces a competition to find new pilots for the fleet, El knows this is her chance to escape. But her stepmother will never let her compete—and then she learns that her new friend, the one person she thought she could trust, was hiding a secret that changes everything between them.

It's a good thing she has a lot more friends than she thinks she does.

Exciting, fast-paced, and hopeful, this science fiction retelling of Cinderella is the first in the Rove City series.

Review: 
This book was just what I needed when I started it, it was perfect. I got this book through book sirens and it was described as a retelling of Cinderella crossed with sci-fi. I really wondered how the author would pull it off as it was very unusual, but I'm pleased to say that they have done an amazing job.

The reason why I couldn't give the book a full 5 stars was because towards the end I struggled to keep my concentration and I could feel myself going into a reading slump, maybe this was because it was a different style of writing that I'm use to or just not the genre of books that I needed in the moment. 

Throughout this book I felt really sorry for El because she was doing a full time job while cleaning and going round after her step mother and step sisters; doing the list of chores that they gave her. The way they treated her was also really horrible and what made me feel sorry for her, because they just made her life hell. Her step mother took every bit of wage that she earned as payment for looking after her since her father passed away and the bother that it caused them. The step sisters are a bit more understanding and we start to see this at the end of the book. They allow her to go on the flight simulator so she can practice her pilot skills, but the more she practices, the more her step sisters ranking increases. I think that's the only true reason why they allow her to go on the simulator.

There is a romance within this book just like there is within Cinderella. I love how El first met the prince and I loved their meetings ever since. It's just perfect and is setting up a true romance that I would love to read about. And for me to say that I'd love to read about this romance when I'm not really a romantic type of reader shows that this romance is just perfect for this book. There is not much romantic action such as kissing but a lot of meaningful moments in my eyes. I love how it develops and the different situations that they find themselves in.

El's personality is a bit complicated but that is to be expected; she is a servant, she is really self conscious and worries about the prince finding out about her social ranking and not talking to her anymore. But obviously as times goes on we discover what the prince thinks and does around El.

Another thing that is great within this book is El's character development, we see how she becomes more trusting in the people she works with which is lovely because that's how friends should act. I also love how she becomes more daring and goes out more to meet the prince in the middle of the night.

I feel that the story of this book develops the correct amount for it's length and that there is a lot of action for the amount of characters within the book. I loved how their was a hint of a love triangle but I'm pleased it never worked out with the other guy because I much prefer the prince. As most of us would.

I would definitely recommend this book if you love a Cinderella retelling and a hint of sci-fi. Also if you love character development and slight romance.

Favourite Character: El

Read: 02/05/20 - 05/05/20

4 stars out of 5

Written by Sammie

Midnight Wings (Rove City Series, book 1)

By Ariele Sieling

Blurb: 
In El's fantasies, she pilots a fighter jet for the intergalactic fleet. In reality, she's a mechanic whose social grid ranking guarantees she'll never advance beyond the lowest grunt work, and a slave in all but name to her cruel and self-centered stepmother and stepsisters. The most she can hope for is a few stolen moments of happiness practicing on her sisters' flight simulators, or talking to the mysterious stranger she met on an illicit night of stargazing.

When the queen announces a competition to find new pilots for the fleet, El knows this is her chance to escape. But her stepmother will never let her compete—and then she learns that her new friend, the one person she thought she could trust, was hiding a secret that changes everything between them.

It's a good thing she has a lot more friends than she thinks she does.

Exciting, fast-paced, and hopeful, this science fiction retelling of Cinderella is the first in the Rove City series.

Review: 
This book was just what I needed when I started it, it was perfect. I got this book through book sirens and it was described as a retelling of Cinderella crossed with sci-fi. I really wondered how the author would pull it off as it was very unusual, but I'm pleased to say that they have done an amazing job.

The reason why I couldn't give the book a full 5 stars was because towards the end I struggled to keep my concentration and I could feel myself going into a reading slump, maybe this was because it was a different style of writing that I'm use to or just not the genre of books that I needed in the moment. 

Throughout this book I felt really sorry for El because she was doing a full time job while cleaning and going round after her step mother and step sisters; doing the list of chores that they gave her. The way they treated her was also really horrible and what made me feel sorry for her, because they just made her life hell. Her step mother took every bit of wage that she earned as payment for looking after her since her father passed away and the bother that it caused them. The step sisters are a bit more understanding and we start to see this at the end of the book. They allow her to go on the flight simulator so she can practice her pilot skills, but the more she practices, the more her step sisters ranking increases. I think that's the only true reason why they allow her to go on the simulator.

There is a romance within this book just like there is within Cinderella. I love how El first met the prince and I loved their meetings ever since. It's just perfect and is setting up a true romance that I would love to read about. And for me to say that I'd love to read about this romance when I'm not really a romantic type of reader shows that this romance is just perfect for this book. There is not much romantic action such as kissing but a lot of meaningful moments in my eyes. I love how it develops and the different situations that they find themselves in.

El's personality is a bit complicated but that is to be expected; she is a servant, she is really self conscious and worries about the prince finding out about her social ranking and not talking to her anymore. But obviously as times goes on we discover what the prince thinks and does around El.

Another thing that is great within this book is El's character development, we see how she becomes more trusting in the people she works with which is lovely because that's how friends should act. I also love how she becomes more daring and goes out more to meet the prince in the middle of the night.

I feel that the story of this book develops the correct amount for it's length and that there is a lot of action for the amount of characters within the book. I loved how their was a hint of a love triangle but I'm pleased it never worked out with the other guy because I much prefer the prince. As most of us would.

I would definitely recommend this book if you love a Cinderella retelling and a hint of sci-fi. Also if you love character development and slight romance.

Favourite Character: El

Read: 02/05/20 - 05/05/20

4 stars out of 5

Written by Sammie

The Helm of Darkness (War on the Gods, book 1)

By A.P. Mobley

Blurb: 

Andy and Zoey are two normal teenagers living in the modern day—that is, until they’re knocked unconscious in a freak storm sweeping the United States.

When they wake up, the world they know has been tossed away. Their city is in ruins, strange creatures walk the earth, and worst of all, everyone is gone. They stumble across Diana and Spencer, two kids around their age who possess incredible magical abilities, and who claim to be the demigod children of Greek gods. Not only that, they also claim the year is 500 AS, five hundred years after the gods conjured a massive storm that destroyed most of humanity and helped them take the world as their own once again.

Andy and Zoey are soon handed an impossible task: To save humanity. To lead a war on the gods.

They’ll have to battle monsters, death, and their own inner demons to survive and to protect the people they love.

Review: 

The Helm of Darkness was an arc I gained through Book Sirens (a arc finder website). This was my first time downloading a book from them with the intention to review. Now I did originally have a lot more notes but my phone was smashed, so I’m doing some of it from the top of my head sorry.

This book is set in the future but because of what happens in the story it feels like the past, which can get confusing. Especially since the chapters that state the date make it more confusing. 

The book is about two main characters Zoey and Andy. It begins with them in High School dealing with usual issues such as the passing of a father or school bullying. Then not very far in, giant arrows start falling from the sky and are killing everyone. Years and years pass and they are resurrected through a demi-god sacrifice as they need to fulfill a prophecy to take down the gods (traditional Greek gods). 

This all happens too fast for me. As it seems the beginning bit with their past life was to give us an idea of what the characters are meant to be like. But because it was rushed, I didn’t feel that attached to them. Even as I read more about them. Andy also got on my nerves a lot by moaning all the time about his dead family. Like he too was dead up till this point, a one or two times mention would have been enough.

Anyway Andy and Zoey are met by two demi-god’s Spencer and Diana, they are to help with their mission to find the objects they need to finish their quest. The first item being the Helm of Darkness which Hades had in the underworld. I liked the concept a lot, not just of the mission but of the whole return of Greek Gods. I enjoyed how it included real myths within the book too, I love finding out more about Greek Gods. Which was the reason I picked this book up.

However, I didn’t think the book really pulled the concept off. It felt weird throughout for me. I also didn’t appreciate the choice of names for the demi-god’s. Spencer and Diana don’t have the same strong vibe like the likes of Hercules for example. It was a well written book, but just lacking things that I would have liked.

I did appreciate the scene in the ending. It was very unexpected and the book had been predictable and too easy of tasks for them up till that point. The main characters were both Mary Sue’s. None of the tasks were particularly struggling for them. I think that was the main thing I enjoyed the least. There was plenty of action and demon fights, maybe even too many fights. But they were all short, so the victory's didn’t feel sufficient enough. They also kept getting help from an outsider which just made them pretty invincible. 

I also feel the book lacked emotion fully. It did try to capture it but it struggled to interest me enough. All the characters had suffered a lot in the past and it did get brought up but it just wasn’t done well enough for me to feel for them.

I would say overall it was an okay read and is probably someone else’s cup of tea. Usually, I will see a book series from beginning to end but with arcs I feel I’d prefer to only read the next ones if I rate the first book 4 stars or more. In this case I’m giving it a 3.5 as the ending was good enough to pick up the score. Sadly, it does mean I won’t be continuing this series.

Rating: 3.5 runes out of 5 

written by Lauren

The Helm of Darkness (War on the Gods, book 1)

By A.P. Mobley

Blurb: 

Andy and Zoey are two normal teenagers living in the modern day—that is, until they’re knocked unconscious in a freak storm sweeping the United States.

When they wake up, the world they know has been tossed away. Their city is in ruins, strange creatures walk the earth, and worst of all, everyone is gone. They stumble across Diana and Spencer, two kids around their age who possess incredible magical abilities, and who claim to be the demigod children of Greek gods. Not only that, they also claim the year is 500 AS, five hundred years after the gods conjured a massive storm that destroyed most of humanity and helped them take the world as their own once again.

Andy and Zoey are soon handed an impossible task: To save humanity. To lead a war on the gods.

They’ll have to battle monsters, death, and their own inner demons to survive and to protect the people they love.

Review: 

The Helm of Darkness was an arc I gained through Book Sirens (a arc finder website). This was my first time downloading a book from them with the intention to review. Now I did originally have a lot more notes but my phone was smashed, so I’m doing some of it from the top of my head sorry.

This book is set in the future but because of what happens in the story it feels like the past, which can get confusing. Especially since the chapters that state the date make it more confusing. 

The book is about two main characters Zoey and Andy. It begins with them in High School dealing with usual issues such as the passing of a father or school bullying. Then not very far in, giant arrows start falling from the sky and are killing everyone. Years and years pass and they are resurrected through a demi-god sacrifice as they need to fulfill a prophecy to take down the gods (traditional Greek gods). 

This all happens too fast for me. As it seems the beginning bit with their past life was to give us an idea of what the characters are meant to be like. But because it was rushed, I didn’t feel that attached to them. Even as I read more about them. Andy also got on my nerves a lot by moaning all the time about his dead family. Like he too was dead up till this point, a one or two times mention would have been enough.

Anyway Andy and Zoey are met by two demi-god’s Spencer and Diana, they are to help with their mission to find the objects they need to finish their quest. The first item being the Helm of Darkness which Hades had in the underworld. I liked the concept a lot, not just of the mission but of the whole return of Greek Gods. I enjoyed how it included real myths within the book too, I love finding out more about Greek Gods. Which was the reason I picked this book up.

However, I didn’t think the book really pulled the concept off. It felt weird throughout for me. I also didn’t appreciate the choice of names for the demi-god’s. Spencer and Diana don’t have the same strong vibe like the likes of Hercules for example. It was a well written book, but just lacking things that I would have liked.

I did appreciate the scene in the ending. It was very unexpected and the book had been predictable and too easy of tasks for them up till that point. The main characters were both Mary Sue’s. None of the tasks were particularly struggling for them. I think that was the main thing I enjoyed the least. There was plenty of action and demon fights, maybe even too many fights. But they were all short, so the victory's didn’t feel sufficient enough. They also kept getting help from an outsider which just made them pretty invincible. 

I also feel the book lacked emotion fully. It did try to capture it but it struggled to interest me enough. All the characters had suffered a lot in the past and it did get brought up but it just wasn’t done well enough for me to feel for them.

I would say overall it was an okay read and is probably someone else’s cup of tea. Usually, I will see a book series from beginning to end but with arcs I feel I’d prefer to only read the next ones if I rate the first book 4 stars or more. In this case I’m giving it a 3.5 as the ending was good enough to pick up the score. Sadly, it does mean I won’t be continuing this series.

Rating: 3.5 runes out of 5 

written by Lauren

Molls Like It Hot 

By Darren Dash

Blurb: 
Evie Brown used to serve in the Army, until a tragic loss forced him to return to civilian life earlier than planned. Now he drives one of London's iconic black cabs. On a dark, wet night, he gives a lift to a wounded gangster, and everything changes from that point on.

When the gangster gets in touch some time later, offering Eyrie a small fortune if he will take care of a mysterious young woman for a few nights, Eyrie is suspicious and hesitant. He can see trouble ahead, but the money will change his life for the better, so he reluctantly agrees to become a temporary guardian. But some deals should never be struck, and his charge turns out to be far more of a handful than he had ever anticipated. As twist follows twist and the bodies start to mount, Eyrie gets backed into a blood-soaked corner and must resort to desperate, inventive measures if he is to stand any chance of seeing his mission through and making it out of the weekend alive.

Fast-paced, action-packed, gritty London-based noir, inspired by the likes of Mickey Spillane, Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, with a large tip of the hat to the Billy Wilder movie Some Like It Hot.

Review: 
I received this as an arc a few weeks back. I've ashamedly haven't read any of Darren Dash adults books before this one. I definitely plan to read more of them. I have read a few of his children books under the name Darren Shan.

I've not read a gangster story before, but I do appreciate gangster movies and TV Shows so when I read the blurb I instantly agreed to the arc with no doubts that it wouldn't good.

Darren Dash is a great writer but seeing it in an adult book, you can see how amazing his writing truly is. The writing in this book had a great flow, very descriptive and really natural dialogue. The characters all had their unique personalities and that really came through in the book.

When I began reading the book, I knew instantly that I liked the writing style as the book starts out with a description of a taxi driver sitting looking out at a wet cold London and then jumped straight into the action. 6 pages in I was hooked.

The book was very fast paced and I was really happy with the length of it. Any longer and it wouldn't have been very good. The snappiness of it was what kept the nice flow of the plot. Now I'm not going to say it was perfect. It did have some slow scenes, some were more dialogue than the continuation of the plot. But in some cases these scenes were good and needed as it showed us more of the main character.

If you looking into this and think that because it's a gangster story it's going to be all doom and gloom. Yes there is plenty of that but there is also really funny scenes and funny things said by characters. Such as a joke about Jesus riding a canoe. The imagery of that made me have a little giggle.

The main character is Eyrie Brown a taxi driver with a darker past. The book was written in his perspective as he deals with the task from gangster boss Lewis Brue to look after a woman named Toni. Eyrie is a really interesting character, and we find out so much about him as the story goes on. I loved his character development. We also see another side of Toni as the book progresses and I really appreciate that character development too.

Although I do admit, I did feel there was too many characters at one point being thrown about. Lewis lists all of his friends in one chapter and just seemed a bit too much for the most part. Some of them were mentioned again later on a bit more but the rest were barely mentioned probably could have been left out.

The part I loved the most in this book was the ending, I could not predict it. There was so many twists straight after the other I couldn't put the book down. It was a great conclusion to this book. I really enjoyed the book and if Darren Dash was planning to make anymore books in this universe, I'd recommend a prequel about Lewis Brue. Love to know how he became a gang boss.

I highly recommend this book. It was something a bit different to what I'm use to, something not fantasy for change. But a welcomed change, I'm glad I read it.

Rating: 4 runes out of 5

written by Lauren

Molls Like It Hot 

By Darren Dash

Blurb: 
Evie Brown used to serve in the Army, until a tragic loss forced him to return to civilian life earlier than planned. Now he drives one of London's iconic black cabs. On a dark, wet night, he gives a lift to a wounded gangster, and everything changes from that point on.

When the gangster gets in touch some time later, offering Eyrie a small fortune if he will take care of a mysterious young woman for a few nights, Eyrie is suspicious and hesitant. He can see trouble ahead, but the money will change his life for the better, so he reluctantly agrees to become a temporary guardian. But some deals should never be struck, and his charge turns out to be far more of a handful than he had ever anticipated. As twist follows twist and the bodies start to mount, Eyrie gets backed into a blood-soaked corner and must resort to desperate, inventive measures if he is to stand any chance of seeing his mission through and making it out of the weekend alive.

Fast-paced, action-packed, gritty London-based noir, inspired by the likes of Mickey Spillane, Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, with a large tip of the hat to the Billy Wilder movie Some Like It Hot.

Review: 
I received this as an arc a few weeks back. I've ashamedly haven't read any of Darren Dash adults books before this one. I definitely plan to read more of them. I have read a few of his children books under the name Darren Shan.

I've not read a gangster story before, but I do appreciate gangster movies and TV Shows so when I read the blurb I instantly agreed to the arc with no doubts that it wouldn't good.

Darren Dash is a great writer but seeing it in an adult book, you can see how amazing his writing truly is. The writing in this book had a great flow, very descriptive and really natural dialogue. The characters all had their unique personalities and that really came through in the book.

When I began reading the book, I knew instantly that I liked the writing style as the book starts out with a description of a taxi driver sitting looking out at a wet cold London and then jumped straight into the action. 6 pages in I was hooked.

The book was very fast paced and I was really happy with the length of it. Any longer and it wouldn't have been very good. The snappiness of it was what kept the nice flow of the plot. Now I'm not going to say it was perfect. It did have some slow scenes, some were more dialogue than the continuation of the plot. But in some cases these scenes were good and needed as it showed us more of the main character.

If you looking into this and think that because it's a gangster story it's going to be all doom and gloom. Yes there is plenty of that but there is also really funny scenes and funny things said by characters. Such as a joke about Jesus riding a canoe. The imagery of that made me have a little giggle.

The main character is Eyrie Brown a taxi driver with a darker past. The book was written in his perspective as he deals with the task from gangster boss Lewis Brue to look after a woman named Toni. Eyrie is a really interesting character, and we find out so much about him as the story goes on. I loved his character development. We also see another side of Toni as the book progresses and I really appreciate that character development too.

Although I do admit, I did feel there was too many characters at one point being thrown about. Lewis lists all of his friends in one chapter and just seemed a bit too much for the most part. Some of them were mentioned again later on a bit more but the rest were barely mentioned probably could have been left out.

The part I loved the most in this book was the ending, I could not predict it. There was so many twists straight after the other I couldn't put the book down. It was a great conclusion to this book. I really enjoyed the book and if Darren Dash was planning to make anymore books in this universe, I'd recommend a prequel about Lewis Brue. Love to know how he became a gang boss.

I highly recommend this book. It was something a bit different to what I'm use to, something not fantasy for change. But a welcomed change, I'm glad I read it.

Rating: 4 runes out of 5

written by Lauren