Book Review: The Ruins of Karzelek (Mandrake Company #4) by Ruby Lionsdrake

The Ruins of Karzelek by Ruby Lionsdrake
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was another fantastic installment in this wonderful series.

This had action right from the start. As per usual, well written and really gripping. I was completely drawn into the story and could not put it down. This was really fast paced, with lots of explosions and plenty of humour that carried you through the book.

This installment brought back some of the other mercenary characters, such as Tick, Striker, Val and Thatcher, but it really focused on Sedgwick Thomlin, Mandrake Company's Intelligence Officer. I really liked his character; I like that he has imperfections and quirks, as it is unusual to have the hero/male love interest be anything but the perfect stereotypical alpha male character. I like how there is a range of personality types among the mercenary characters, that all work well together and have a good chemistry. Kalish and her mother and sister were new characters that we were introduced to in this story, Kalish being the main focus. She has a personality very similar to Ankari, although I think that she is less witty than Ankari is and takes herself a little bit more seriously. I liked her character and think that she complimented Thomlin well.

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend this series to science fiction lovers with a sense of adventure.

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Book Review: The Assassin's Salvation (Mandrake Company #3) by Ruby Lionsdrake

The Assassin's Salvation by Ruby Lionsdrake
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So the Mandrake Company series is my latest binge read (I'm already on book 5 by the time I'm writing this) and I'm loving it.

I like that this book has gone back to focus on one of the original characters from Mercenary Instinct (book 1). Jamie Flipkens is the engineer/pilot for Ankari's medical company. So far in the series we have only got to see her as the young and inexperienced one of the group, so it was nice that we hot to know her character better and see her develop in this installment of the series. We were also introduced to a new character as the hero and Jamie's love interest. Sergei, assassin and former crew member of the Mandrake Company. I like that his character is very different and more resigned and discreet than the personalities of the other mercenary characters. I like that he doesn't fit in the stereotypical mold of the assassin role, and that the reality is different form he initial expectation.

I love that this series has a really diverse range of different types of characters; this coupled with the great writing style and story lines really makes for a very dynamic and gripping series. You get completely drawn into the books and really care for the characters. Once you pick this up you will not want to put it down. This was another fantastic action packed sci-fi adventure, with a touch of humour thrown in.

I highly recommend this series.

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The Emporium

So you may or may not know that I recently opened an Etsy store. Why the sudden impulse? you may ask. Well it all started a couple of months ago, when I woke up with start at about three in the morning, with my brain running at a hundred miles an hour. You see, I love the Project Life stuff by Becky Higgins, but there tends to be a lot of girly patterns, pastel colours, and pink. And as much as I like the designs, and think they are lovely, they're just not me. What about the Goths and other weird and alternative people out there? I somehow doubt that I'm the only Goth out there that enjoys a bit of crafting or scrapbooking. I think that it's true of most the craft industry, that there is a distinct lack of items that suit the alternative genre to a T. So, with my three in the morning brainstorming session in mind, I decided to do something about that.

So I created my first kit. I know how many people love the Project Life system, especially with it being a way to scrapbook/memory keep even when you are a bit strapped for time, or lack confidence when it comes to being creative. Because of this I designed my kit to work with that system and any future kits will be designed in the same way. Of course you don't have to use them in the Project life system at all if you don't want to. If traditional scrapbooking is more your thing then, by all means, incorporate them into your pages. Truth be known, even though I like a lot of the kits that Project life create, I personally, wouldn't use them with the wallet system, as I prefer tradition scrapbooking or art journals.

I went with Etsy for the store as you can sell digital files. These are downloadable kits that you can either use in digital projects or print them off and use as part of physical pages. It also means that you by once and then can use it as many times as you like, as there is no limit on how many you can print!

I've also got a couple of smaller kits that I'll post here soon for you to download as freebies so keep an eye out for them!

 

This is the main kit that is available in the shop.

This the Occult Gothic Collection (Take a look in store here.)

There are 73 cards in this kit, although you can use them as many times as you like and print out as many as you want, so 73 is the minimum number that you have here. The cards are a mix of 3 inches by 4 inches and 4 inches by 4 inches, with assorted designs, 17 of which are journaling cards.

These are some of my favourite cards from the kit that I have printed out.

I can't wait to dig out some old picture to create some pages with ones.

(Check out my Instagram for close ups.)

I also created  an 8" x 8" paper stack
(Take a look in the store.). They co-ordinate beautifully with the card kit, but would make gorgeous pages on their own.

I decided to go with the 8 inch square pages, because everyone can print an 8" by 8", no matter what printer they have, but not everyone can print 12" by 12".












I'd love for everyone to check out the Etsy shop (It's called The Enigmas Emporium if I haven't already mentioned it), I'd also love to see any of your creations! Tag me on Twitter or Instagram.

Remember to keep your eyes peeled for some freebies on here soon!

Happy scrapping everyone...

Book Review: Trial and Temptation (Mandrake Company #2) by Ruby Lionsdrake

Trial and Temptation by Ruby Lionsdrake
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What is not to love about this book??

This was another fun and action packed sci-fi adventure. Well written, it grabs you right from the start and takes you on this fast paced mission, with some awesome characters for company. I liked that this book focused on a different member of the Mandrake Company crew. Although we were introduced to some of them in the previous book, we didn't really get a chance to really get to know them. I think that Thatcher was a great character, especially with his social awkwardness. I thought that it made a nice change for the leading male love interest, to not be particularly comfortable or confident when it came to women, and for him to not be good in social situations. I thought that this really showed off the diversity among the characters. I also loved Val's characters, and feel that her character made a good contrast to Thatcher's. The combination of her confidence and Thatcher's difficulty in social issues, provided some good comedy moments.

This story had a really divers range of settings and characters, and each were created with their own individual feel to them. The writing overall had a great flow, and it never felt like the romance side of the story took over from the plot. I would highly recommend this to any science fiction lover; especially if you like a bit of romance thrown in. However I would suggest reading this series in order, as you'll have a better understanding of the world that this is set in, as well as some of the references made to the first book.

A really fun read!

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Book Review: Mercenary Instinct (Mandrake Company #1) by Ruby Lionsdrake

Mercenary Instinct by Ruby Lionsdrake
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really loved this book! Although that was pretty much a given when you consider that it's written by Lindsay Buroker using a different name.

This was a fantastic fast paced sci-fi story, that had a great sense of humour and an easy flow to it. You get completely immersed in what is going on as the plot, and characters are so engaging. I love how the different personalities interact with each other. I think that having some serious characters and some more sarcastic/quirky characters is a good mix and creates plenty of opportunities for comedy moments (none of which were missed). I loved how the relation ship between Ankari and Viktor developed as well as the chemistry between them. I hope we get to see more of them together in future books. The other girls on Ankari's team are also really interesting and quirky characters.

I really enjoyed the world (worlds? They do visit more than one...) Everything is so well written, you can build a really clear image in your mind as to what these far flung places look like, and they they each have a different atmosphere to them.

This truly is a really great and fun read that I would highly recommend t anyone that loves a science fiction story with a little bit of humour and romance throw in.

I can't wait for the next one!

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Book Review: Grayfall (Outzone Drifter #2) by Mike Sheridan

Grayfall: A Post Apocalyptic/Dystopian Adventure by Mike Sheridan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I could not put this book down! Grayfall is the second installment of the Outzone Drifter series, and it is another gripping, fast paced and action packed story.

This is the continuation of Winter's Edge (book 1) and shows Brogan and Roja working to complete their mission to take out Ritter. This isn't the soul focuse of the story either. It also picks up the story line of the girl that was kidnapped at the beginning of the previous book. I liked that it picked up this element and showed what happened, rather than just using as a way to introduce Ritter and Co. As well as this, it took us to a different part of the Outzone and continued the world building, showing another side to the Outzone.

Along with the great story telling, there is a good cast of characters. They all have different personalities and are all very individual. The characters are dynamic, and really help carry the story along. I would have like to have seen a bit more between Brogan and Roja, but I can see how this book can set up the next with different characters as the focus.

I have really enjoyed this series so far, and would recommend this to pretty much anyone; but especially those that love a good dystopian adventure. I looking forward to reading more in this world.


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Book Review: Burned (Magic Bullet #1) by A. Blythe

Burned by A. Blythe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I discovered this through Instafreebie, so had no real expectations of what to expect. I was really pleased to find that this was a brilliant book.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this even though it was a quick read. It was fun, and fast paced with lots of action. I thought that it was very well written. It has a good story line that's not overly complicated, but is just enough to keep you interested and entertained. This was coupled with great descriptions that allow you to create a clear image of this world and it's goings on in your head and therefore completely immerse yourself in the book.

This good writing carried through into the engaging characters. I loved the mix of the different types of supernatural and human, as well as how they all clearly had very different personalities. There was great chemistry and relationships between the characters and they all played off each other really well. The dialogue also added another level of dimension. The different types of characters had varying speech patterns and used different phasing, this really helped create a sense of individuality. I also enjoyed how the wit and humour was woven into the narrative as well as the speech; it made everything feel cohesive and carried you through the story.

I would totally recommend this book to anyone that loves a humorous, fast paced read with a supernatural element thrown in. I will certainly be getting the next one!

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Book Review: Midnight Burn (Gothic Angels #1) by Ashur Rose

Midnight Burn by Ashur Rose
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While this hasn't been the best thing I have ever read, it certainly hasn't been the worst either. I originally downloaded the preview of this form, I believe, Instafreebie for free. At the time I didn't realise it was the preview. When I started this I honestly wasn't sure it was worth finishing, but when I reached the end of the preview copy I did go and buy the complete version as it had grabbed enough of my attention to want to know more and to see what happens.

I have to say, Gargoyles or Dryg are a new one on me. They're not something that everyone seems to focus on and it was nice to see a new take on the paranormal romance genre. I do feel that the start of this book seemed a little bit haphazard. There was very little backstory / explanation of the characters; where they are from, why they are here, their purpose et-cetera. This information was something that you kind of had to glean form the hints given in conversation between the characters. The same thing goes for some of the terms used that are clearly part of the Dryg language. Now as much as there is a glossary at the start of the book, (I don't think there was one at the start of the preview version, but I could be wrong), if you are anything like me then you tend to skip the glossary section rather than commit it to memory. Personally I think that, considering this is book one of a series, that those would could do with a bit of explaining within the book itself and not just in the glossary section. (Also glossaries aren't particularly convenient when reading on a e-reader)

This book also seemed to take a few chapters for the author to get into the flow and for the writing to seem more natural. But once you get past the slightly bumpy start, you get a fairly engaging story line, and some pretty interesting characters. Iain a.k.a. Mr Tall dark and Handsome, is a captivating character, that draws you in. Lilith is very strong willed and a likable character; however I do feel that she just accepted the whole Dryg thing a little bit to easily. She seemed very at home with some of the realities that were revealed to her. I kind of wanted to see her struggle to come to terms with everything a little bit more. I did like how Lilith and Iain came to be together. I liked that it wasn't a love at first sight kind of thing. There is a good chemistry between all the characters involved and their dialogue and interactions are well written.

Initially this book feels a bit rough around the edges but after a couple of chapters things really do pick up and the story is well written, action packed and really drags you along. This has a good cast of characters and an interesting story line. A quick read with a slightly different take on the Paranormal genre.

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Book Review: Winter's Edge (Outzone Drifter Series #1) by Mike Sheridan

Winter's Edge by Mike Sheridan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So this book is a little different from what I would normally read, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

I thought that this was very well written. The writing flowed well and was engaging, it drew me in right from the start. With this book being the first in a series, there was a lot of world building. There was plenty of well written description, that allowed you to create a very clear image in you head of what the setting was like, but never so much that you got bogged down in it. The explanation of the events that occurred to create this dystopian version of our world were weaved into the story in such a way that it didn't detract or take over from the plot line, or interrupt the flow either. I never felt like there were any pacing issues, or that I had missed something.

There is an interesting cast of characters, that are also well written. You can get a clear sense of the different personality types and they all play off each other well. I'm looking forward to reading the next book to see how the different friendships/relationships develop between the characters. Although mostly men feature in this book, it was nice to see some believable female characters. The handful of women in the book are all very different, and I'm glad the author didn't just stick to one stereotype.

There is enough action in this book to balance out some of the 'slower' elements. Balanced would be a good word to describe this book; get a good amount of everything: backstory, description, action...
You never feel like you're being overwhelmed with information. This was just a really gripping read that I look forward to reading more of.

Well written, great characters, good flow and an interesting story line. I really enjoyed reading this and couldn't put it down. Totally recommend.

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Eye Of The Beholder

Scrapbooking always been good way of documenting our memories and everyday life, and is probably one of the best  known and long running ways of documenting our time that there is. Personally I was looking for something more creative than just scrapbooking. Enter the art journal. I wanted something that would work as a part sketch book, part scrapbook, something that would be fun and interesting to look back at in the future.

As much as I love my Polaroid Project its nice to be able to add more. I don't feel that other keepsakes like tickets, notes and the random little things you find, have a place in something such as my Polaroid frame. I have collected a lot of these kind of things over the years and have therefore been planning on starting an art journal for a while now. A couple of weekends ago I finally found the time to start. By start I mean the front cover is done, but I have begun planning some pages, so watch this space.

So after way too much deliberation this is what I ended up creating.

So this started out life as a 8" x 8" Spiral Bound Kraft Scrapbook from Hobbycraft (£3).

These actually come with black ribbon ties.

I decided to remove these with some scissors, and then pushed any fibers that I couldn't get to back into the slot it was originally threaded through, with a Pokey Tool (Yes it's a real thing. Get one here for £4)

Why did I take them off? Because I don't have the patients to keep untying, and retying things. I'm lazy.

I knew that I wanted text on the cover and wanted the look of old books; so I got an old book.

You can relax. I didn't just go and buy a book in order to tear it up. The Librarian at my old secondary school was told he had to get rid of some of the old books. I use to be a student librarian; since he knew I was arty he asked if I wanted to take some of the old books off his hands and use them for something other than just going in the bin.

For my art journal I went with a page from an old Dictionary/Thesaurus/Medical Dictionary. This one was already fairly yellow from age, but I wanted to add to that along the edges. To do this I used the Antique Linen Distress Ink  by Tim Holtz (you may want to shop around and see where you can get it cheapest). I glued down the book page using Mod Podge (matte finish).

For the main design elements for my cover I chose to use some stamps by Visible Image. I absolutely love their stamps. If you haven't checked their stuff out, then you need to; and be prepared to spend. A lot.

For this I used the eye from the Where Dreams Take You set (I have had this stamp a while, as in before it was a part of this set, so the eye is all I have), as well as the Reveal Your True Colours stamp from the Own It! set and an ink splat from the aptly named Ink Splats set.

To start with I stamped each image where I wanted it using the Walnut Stain Distress Ink. I did this so that it would just about show up against the natural colour of the Kraft card.

I wanted to be able to stamp the ink splat in coloured inks and have the colours stand out. The images stamped in Walnut Stain acted as a guide for me to be able to fill in the areas I wanted to colour with White Gesso first as a base for the colours.

Once the Gesso had dried I added the coloured ink splats.

These were done with the Visible Image splat stamp and just a collection of coloured inks. I used pastel pink, blue and purple inks from a variety of brands (mostly ones that I had forgotten about.)








Next I used a black Versafine Ink Pad To stamp the Eye and True Colours images. I did, however, fine that it took awhile for the ink to dry on the Gesso areas so in future I would probably opt to use a Stazon ink pad instead, just to be sure that it actually dries without any risk of smudging.

Afterwards I just added a bit of a doodle in the top left corner using a black pen. When I was sure that all the inks were dry I sealed everything down with a layer of Gloss Finish Mod Podge . 

And there you have it. I hope to be able to start working on some pages soon so watch this space for more art journal related stuff. 

Happy Scrapping!!

If you have and questions or comments I'd love to heard them! As usual, come find me on Twitter and now Instagram using the buttons at the top of the side bar. Alternatively send your messages via carrier pigeon, flying monkey or magic carpet. Unicorns are also an accepted delivery service!! 

Book Review: The Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie Fox

The Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie Fox
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This wasn't the best book that I have ever read, but it certainly wasn't the worst either.

In all honesty, this book nearly ended up on the Did-Not-Finish shelf. I got to around chapter 4 or 5 and was seriously considering putting this one down. I think this was because you basically get the kitchen sink thrown at you in the form of a studded/rhinestone covered, pink leather wearing, Harley riding, biker long lost grandma that just so happens to to be a witch, a small (I think) green glow-y eye dart throwing demon, and a talking jack russell. All within the first chapter or 2. The start of this book had some major pacing issues. Everything seemed to happen one thing right after another, for no real reason.

Because you get thrown into this world there is no real set up or backstory for the main character Lizzie. I also think that her character accepted everything way too easily. The grandmother she has never met, shows up on her pink Harley, barges in and looks her in the bathroom and starts casting a spell and when she finally lets Lizzie out after getting rid of a demon (Lizzie got rid of the demon) Lizzie discovers that she can now understand, and have a full blown conversation with her dog. Her reaction to all this is basically 'Guess I'm a demon slayer that can talk to her dog...Okay, great now what do we do next?'. To me, it all felt a little unrealistic, and I would have liked to see her have a bit more of a hard time coming to terms with it all.

Some of the other characters were interesting, I feel like the pacing issues seem to stop once Dimitri's character was introduced. I also feel at this point the story started to seem less chaotic and it had a better flow and I feel that the overall story and writing style improved. I do think that Dimitri's character could have been developed a bit more, but overall he seemed to be one of the better written characters. I like the relationship between him and Lizzie and I think that it is something that can be developed over more installments I the series.

Once you get past the first 4 or 5 chapters this book really does pick up, and the overall writing style is good. I feel like there could have been more backstory in the beginning and a little more character building along the way. If I came across the second book really cheap I might consider getting it, but I would go out of my way to do so, nor would I loose any sleep if I didn't read it.

This book didn't quite meet my expectations by is certainly not the worst thing I have ever read and it did have some funny moments.


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Book Review: The Paramedic's Nemesis (Extreme Medical Services #6) by Jamie Davis

The Paramedic's Nemesis by Jamie Davis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book! This has been one of those really surprising series that has totally exceeded my expectations.

The Paramedic's Nemesis was another action packed page turner that I didn't want to put down. With Jo having gone back to her own time the relationship between Dean and Jaz takes on a different feel and tone. I love how these characters have developed over the last couple of books; I think that they play off each other really well. It was also nice to see more of Brynne's character in this book, as it shows just how much thinks have changed since to beginning of the series, but at the same time shows the foundation of who these characters are and what the series has been built on has stayed the same. I think this is a good thing that it has stayed true to itself and the characters, rather go off on some tangent to become overly complicated and silly. Even after six books, this is still a series of books about a paramedic that deals with Unusual patients. It's kept it's quirkiness and charm, but has found a way to stay interesting and not become repetitive.

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this series and I hope, with the revelation of who Dean's father is, that there will be more to come. I can't wait to read more!

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Book Review: The Paramedic's Witch (Extreme Medical Services #5) by Jamie Davis

The Paramedic's Witch by Jamie Davis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is turning out to be a really gripping series. This was another action packed and fast paced story that I just couldn't put down.

This book focuses on the aftermath/clean up after the Errington Family building was blown up in the start of the previous book. A member of the demolition crew has taken two of three summoning idols from the rubble. The fact that they cause bad luck is one thing, but things take a turn fro the worst when they are used as part of a game of D&D.

We really see the bonds between the characters grow and develop in this installment. Dean and Jaz start to see Jo as their daughter more and more. In doing so I think that we start to see a softer more caring side to Jaz, rather than just the shoot-first-ask-questions-later, demon hunter slash security professional Jaz. As well as this, the relationship between Jaz and Dean develops and they start to work better as a team (mostly on the whole parenting thing). I think this book also shows Jo more as the typical teen and shows off more of her character.

With Jo getting sent back to her own time, it will be interesting to see how the dynamic between Dean and Jaz will change, and how their relationship to develop.

I really loved this book. This is a series that just keeps getting better and I highly recommend it.

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Book Review: The Paramedic's Hunter (Extreme Medical Services #4) by Jamie Davis

The Paramedic's Hunter by Jamie Davis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was another fast paced, page turner of a read that I loved every second of.

This is really the beginning of a new story arc, albeit, one that is tied to the arc that the previous three books tell. Dean and company may have stopped The Cause, but it looks as though Dean's problems are far from over. This time round we have some new characters that I think will add some new elements and dimension to this series.

Jaz Errington is a Demon hunter, independent and strong willed. I like her a lot, and can't wait to see how her character develops. I can see the relationship between her and Dean having a lot more fireworks, than the relationship with Ashley. It's going to be interesting to see the chemistry between the two go and to see them deal with the link that they both share. Jo is another new character. I can't really say much about her without giving away spoilers. But I will say that she is a quirky one and plays off Dean and Jaz really well. Also making an appearance was Ashley's Valkyrie sister Ingrid. She seems like a lot of fun and is a near complete opposite to Ashley. I think she will add some humour into the mix as well as create carnage; so that's going to be fun.

This book had loads more action and a bit of a different vibe than previous books, in my opinion, which really grabbed me and drew me in. On top of this is was revealed that there may be more to Dean than meets the eye, so I'm looking forward to see how that element of the story line plays out.

This is totally worth reading, and dare I say, it has possibly been one of my favourites in the series so far.

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