No Good Deed by Bill Blais - Book Review

Don't get me wrong, I love YA fiction, but this is one seriously good grown up demon fighting awesome book that all age groups will love!

Summary Courtesy of Amazon: "In the last ten days, I've resigned myself to three things: Your kid'll break his arm the day after you lose your job; you should always look a gift horse in the mouth; and nothing, not even ridding the world of demons, is as straightforward as you'd think."Kelly McGinnis has spent her adult life trying to do the right thing, but as a newly down-sized mother of twins and the wife of a man living with Multiple Sclerosis, she also knows that trying isn't always enough. While interrupting a scene of police brutality, Kelly unwittingly releases a real, live demon. After she manages to kill the creature through gut instinct and blind luck, she is approached to join a secret group of demon hunters who reveal an underworld of monsters and magic. Against her better judgment, Kelly accepts the lucrative, if bizarre, offer; but when she meets Umber, a compelling incubus with an unexpectedly human story, she learns that the truth is far stranger and more terrifying than she imagined.

This is the #1 book in the Kelley and Umber series by Bill Blais. Bill is such a great guy, and having posted and interview with him here on the blog before I read the book he made some pretty bold statements that had a lot to live up to. But I have to say it was more. This is a seriously good book!

At the ripe age of 21 I find very few characters I can really relate to. YA protagonists seem to always be young teens and I see their flaws and strengths in relation to when I was that age. Kelly though, is a character I will inspire to be like! Middle aged, slightly over weight but with a fantastic family that she loves and an exciting change of career. She is likeable, funny, imperfect and most of all KICK ASS!

At no time was I left feeling like this was similar to another book, that I could predict where the next page would take me or felt it slowing down at all. Even domestic scenes of dinner parties had their exciting twists that left me wanting more.Speaking of twists; the introduction of the character Umber in the late stages of the book is something I have not seen before and I loved it. As the whole series is named after the pair I know he will star more in the future books and I can't wait.

The main flaw in this book from my opinion is not really its fault. Being written by an American, being set in America it holds and lot of references to America that do fit is well with the international audience. Struggling to pay medical bills just does not happen in the UK with the NHS, and this was something that bugged me a little. However it is integral to the story and I of course understood that healthcare is insurance based and has to be paid for. Other American cultural references I feel were lost on me, but it did not hold the book back in any way.

Overall I loved this book. The protagonist Kelly is awesome, her family adorable and the character of Umber is really one I look forward to reading more about. 

9/10 (1 point lost because I'm not American)

I am taking part in a blog tour for this book with some really awesome book bloggers. You can see their out their reviews, interviews, guest posts and giveaway from here.

Thanks as always for reading,

Love Rie x

Reading in the Sun!

As some of you will already know I finished my three year degree this week. Capped off with an a pretty good exam I feel great, and not too sad, that I am leaving this chapter off my life now! The last few days I have just been laying in the sun in my local park reading which has been fantastic! We have been having a little mini heat wave here and it has made perfect sun bathing whilst reading conditions.

So I think I Would give you a short low down what I have been reading and what will be coming next. Think of   it as a What are you reading Wednesday, but on Saturday!

Dragonquest by Anne McCaffrey

This is the #2 book in the dragon riders of Pern series. I have done a mini review of this over on Facebook but basically I love it. I gave it an 8/10 because it has an amazing narrative, some quick arse characters and a fantastic fantasy world. Its big down fall is being quite complicated with about double the amount of characters that I feel I can take in to start with. But once I got my head round all the different name I loved it, and I can't wait to get started on the next ones (and I have three of them to read by next Monday if I am to keep Mr Phillips happy!).

No Good Deed by Bill Blais

I was sent this as part of an up and coming blog tour but I couldn't help but sneak in what I thought of sooner. I have done an interview with Bill earlier this month and I was really excited with the promise "My goal is to give readers something they haven't had from the genre to date" (Blais. 2012). He was not wrong, this fantasy is a little bit more grown up, and little bit more complex and a little bit more awesome. Full review to come in July!

The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

This book was part of my Teaser Tuesday this week, when I had only just started it. I am reading a couple of books at the moment, which is the only reason I haven't had time to finish it. Reading a Armstrong book is like coming home, this one is from her YA series Darkness Rising but the style is so easy to read and so familiar that it would be fantastic if she was writing about bin bags. Yet the narrative is also awesome and action packed! The first chapter leads straight on from The Gathering at a staggering pace and the first quarter of the book is so action packed I was left catching my breath! 

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

This book was lent to me Miss Dombey more than a few weeks about and I hadn't found time to read it. But as it was such a glorious day yesterday I thought that I would leave the Kindle at home for a day and read this instead. My gosh it is such a fast read. I have power through 3/4 of it in less than 24 hours and I am sure I will be done by the end of today. I can tell its going to get emotional but I fear there will be a twist before I reach the end!


What's coming next:

Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey

Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey

Let me know in the comments below what you will be reading this weekend and what is coming up next!

Thanks, as always, for reading,

Love Rie x

Author Interview: Bill Blais

This is my second instalment in a series of posts for the Kelly and Umber series, which consists of an interview with the author Bill Blais. If you want to know what I am doing this series of posts please go back and check out my first post.


This is only the second author interview I have conducted, and the first one to go up on the blog (the other one will go up a bit later in the year). It is thus fair to say that the question that I asked were fairly bland, but I was really happy with the response I received, and I hope you will be too:

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Rie: How long have you been writing?

Bill Blais: Well, the first story I wrote was during my sophomore year of high school English class, which would be, whoa, almost 25 years ago. I wrote more pieces during that year and the years that followed, submitting when I thought I had something worthwhile and receiving the requisite (and largely deserved) rejections. A few years after college, though, I hit a lull of several years. I continued to toy with writing, but I wasn't really serious and produced only a couple of complete pieces during that time.

All that changed in 2004. That year, as my 32nd birthday approached, I realized that I hadn't become the published author I had imagined I would be all those years earlier. Of course, the reason was simple enough: I wasn't writing. Not seriously.

So I challenged myself to write a complete novel -- beginning, middle and end. If I could finish that, then maybe I had a chance. If not, I would put that dream aside for good.

It took me a year to write the first draft of Witness and almost three more to revise it (13 times!), and it was an incredibly frustrating, exhilarating, painstaking process (my wife deserves a martyrdom for sticking with me through all that), but I did it. The very best part, though, wasn't finishing the book, but itching to start the next one. That was the moment that I truly felt I was doing what I should be doing.

Since then, I really haven't stopped.

Rie: Why did you first decide to start writing fantasy fiction?

Bill Blais: Oh, the genre was a given long before I even considered writing. My first books were Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, Thomas Covenant, Dragonlance, et cetera. I wanted desperately to be swept away to these worlds. When I got older and started to consider writing, fantasy was a natural choice. I'm also a fan of science fiction, historical fiction, and mysteries, and I'm working in those directions, as well.

Rie: Who are your favorite authors?

Bill Blais: It comes down to good writing, and I tend to prefer time-tested authors, like Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Patrick O'Brian, and Henryk Sienkiewicz.

Rie: What can readers expect from the Kelly & Umber series?

Bill Blais: My goal is to give readers something they haven't had from the genre to date. I don't lay any claim to true originality, but I try to avoid convention and pre-conceived expectations wherever I can.

Rie: Is the character of Kelly based on anyone you know?

Bill Blais: Yes and no. Like all the characters I write, I want to make her as realistic and honest as possible. For me, this means imbuing her with traits I am familiar with from my own experience and relationships, but it also means allowing her to use, change, or discard these traits as she sees fit in the development of her own unique character. I know that sounds a bit evasive, but it's true.

Rie: Are you writing anything at the moment, if so what?

Bill Blais: Time's been a little tight with the new baby girl, but I'm just finishing up the final (hopefully) revision of a science fiction short story I want to get out in the next couple weeks. I tried a different approach with this one and it was a fun ride, but I have trouble with short fiction, because they have to be, well, short, which is not my strong suit.

Rie: What will be your next book release?

Bill Blais: I expect to publish Another Night at the End of the World, a more traditional fantasy novel, this summer. After that, the third Kelly & Umber novel (currently titled The Road to Hell) is on schedule for this coming winter. Finally, the second in the All Prophets are Liars series (also outlined and prepped) should be ready for a summer 2013 release. There might also be a sci-fi novel slipped out in between sometime.

Because I'm obviously short of things to do.

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I think you will agree that Bill is fantastic interviewee, and a big congratulations for the birth of his little girl, as well as some great little books.


You can read other (more creative) interviews with Bill as he has taken part in his book tour here:

• The Land of Oz - Some great answers around how becoming a new Dad has affected Bill's writing.
• Left and Write - Find out what Bill would bring save if the Zombie Apocalypse came upon us! 
• Raine Thomas - Find out what the biggest compliment Bill has ever received about his books. 

You can find out more about Bill on his website, Facebook, Twitter & Goodreads. 

The next post in this series with be a book review of the first book in the Kelly & Umber series, No Good Deed . 

Thanks for reading,

Love Rie x

Interview organised by the wonderful Annabell Cadiz at Illuminated tours.

Cover Reveal: Hell Hath No Fury by Bill Blais

I first heard about the Kelly and Umber series on the Moonligh Gleam's Bookshelf blog when she hosted a giveaway for the second book in the series, Hell Hath No Fury , which I quickly entered. However I was dissapointed to find out the giveaway was restricted to the US & Canada. After speaking to the author Bill Blias I was approached to ask if I would like to host a cover reveal and interview with him here on my little bloggy to make up for it! 

So I am please to introduce a series of posts on the Kelly and Umber series! This first post is a cover reveal and a synopsis of the second book to let you know what it is about:

The second book in the Kelley and Umber series - Hell Hath No Fury

Summary: 

After the horrific events under the streets of NewYork City, Kelly McGinnis quit the team of demon hunters who had recruited herand did everything she could to put the experience behind her. Six monthslater, life is nearly normal, complete with bills, school for her children andhospital visits for her husband.

Dreams of Umber --the handsome and intriguing incubus she saved--continue totease Kelly’s sleep, but it is only when far darker dreams--and worse--begin toinfect her children, that Kelly discovers what happens if you stop hunting
demons.

They start hunting you.

About Bill Blais:
Bill Blais is a writer, web developer and perennialpart-time college instructor. His novels include Witness (winner of the NextGeneration Indie Book Award for Fantasy) and the Kelly & Umber urbanfantasy series. Bill graduated from Skidmore College before earning an MA inMedieval Studies from University College London. He lives in Maine with hiswife and daughter.


You can read a sample of the first book in the series No Good Dead here: http://bit.ly/L6CVqS
And a sample of Hell Hath No Fury here: http://bit.ly/J8LQ9N

You can get both these books on Kindle for just £1.95 each.

Thank you so much for reading, if you like the sound of the book please pop along and have a read of samples and let me know what you think.

Love Rie x