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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
I'll admit the reason I decide to buy this book is the author's name (don't care if it's childish, I like supporting people who share my awesome name). But, I'm glad I read this one and would continue to read the rest even if the author didn't share my name. Kenzie Brooks has lives her entire life under a spell that was only meant to last a few years. She had no idea who she really is, what she really is, or that magic even exists. Makes things complicates for a woman who is the key to a mad man's plan to save a dying species of mystical beasts.
Crux
This was pretty good. While there was plenty of conflict, I felt like it was resolved a bit too quickly. The epic fight only lasted a couple of pages. I felt like there was tons of lead up, only for the climax to fall a little flat.
I liked the main characters, as well as the depth that the secondary characters also had.
Would have loved a bit more spice.
This was pretty good. While there was plenty of conflict, I felt like it was resolved a bit too quickly. The epic fight only lasted a couple of pages. I felt like there was tons of lead up, only for the climax to fall a little flat.
I liked the main characters, as well as the depth that the secondary characters also had.
Would have loved a bit more spice.
3.5 starts, actually. So I LOVED this author's other pen name (Kit Rocha) Gideon's Riders series, so I thought I'd try out an earlier series. Hmm.....obviously the writing has developed bit.
This story started out with a bunch of things that made me super-happy: a non wishy-washy heroine clueless about a magical world, hot guys who have lively banter with girls they are not romantically involved with, a well developed magical underworld, and a stalkery stalker after the heroine to impregnate her with cougar babies.
But....I kind of lost interest halfway through. There's a lot of build up.....in the relationship, in the the attacking a stronghold where someone is kidnapped, in danger from the main big bad....and none of it pans out, really. All of them were anticlimactical because the plot swerves away from what was building up suddenly. And there are a lot of couples. Everyone in this book has a love interest, not just Jackson and MacKenzie. There's Jackson's partner, Mackenzie's boss, Mackenzie's boss's sister, the cousin of jackson's assistant...etc. etc. I realize they are being introduced for later books, but those relationships are presented already formed and so it feels too pat.
If you like steam with your Paranormal Romance, the steam factor might save this for you, but I found myself unsatisfied with the way the first physical encounters were handled between Jackson and MacKenzie since it didn't tap into any of the issues Mackenzie has (trust issues, cougar instincts, etc) and Jackson was kind of bland.
Back to the more emotionally developed and snazzy world-building of Gideon's Riders I go!
This story started out with a bunch of things that made me super-happy: a non wishy-washy heroine clueless about a magical world, hot guys who have lively banter with girls they are not romantically involved with, a well developed magical underworld, and a stalkery stalker after the heroine to impregnate her with cougar babies.
But....I kind of lost interest halfway through. There's a lot of build up.....in the relationship, in the the attacking a stronghold where someone is kidnapped, in danger from the main big bad....and none of it pans out, really. All of them were anticlimactical because the plot swerves away from what was building up suddenly. And there are a lot of couples. Everyone in this book has a love interest, not just Jackson and MacKenzie. There's Jackson's partner, Mackenzie's boss, Mackenzie's boss's sister, the cousin of jackson's assistant...etc. etc. I realize they are being introduced for later books, but those relationships are presented already formed and so it feels too pat.
If you like steam with your Paranormal Romance, the steam factor might save this for you, but I found myself unsatisfied with the way the first physical encounters were handled between Jackson and MacKenzie since it didn't tap into any of the issues Mackenzie has (trust issues, cougar instincts, etc) and Jackson was kind of bland.
Back to the more emotionally developed and snazzy world-building of Gideon's Riders I go!
Picked this up as a free read on Amazon and really enjoyed it! I think Mackenzie has the most realistic reaction to discovering the supernatural world that I've ever read. Imagine if a stranger showed up on your doorstep claiming he could turn into a cougar, you can too, and you're soulmates who are destined to have a magic baby who will save your race. You'd think he was crazy, right? For this reason alone I'd love this book, but the other characters and the plot are really good as well. the shifters are familiar, but different enough to feel original and I liked the inclusion of other types of magic.
This installment is only free at the cost of getting sucked in and needing to buy the rest of the series!
This installment is only free at the cost of getting sucked in and needing to buy the rest of the series!
Moira Rogers is a new author for me, or rather a new duo of authors. For some reason I went into reading this one expecting a plot heavy on the romance and was pleasantly surprised to find that this book is just as heavy on the action, plot, and character building. I love it when an author surprises me.
The story is about Mackenzie who is on the run from some crazy shifters looking to use her for her body. While on the run she falls into a web of really cool people who convince her the supernatural is real and give her an unexpected support system. Jackson Holt takes a liking to her immediately and will do whatever he needs to keep her safe.
The story arc is reminiscent of a paranormal romance…. girl is in trouble, our hero must use his super powers and super friends to save her. But, in this story our heroine isn’t weak or waiting around to be saved and our hero doesn’t expect her to sit back in a safe corner and wait it out. I found the characters to be honest. The dialogue between them was easy and free flowing. The relationship was realistic, a nice mix of playful flirting with sincerity. Jackson is funny and sexy, protective without being overbearing.
The plot of Crux builds quickly. The book is action packed and I had a hard time finding stopping points so I could get some much needed sleep! There is an atypical twist in the plot three quarters of the way through. After it I thought for sure we were getting an ending and the “Big Bad” would continue to haunt us in the next book, but instead the story keeps going! Because of this small twist in plot sequence, the story loses a bit of momentum and I felt the true ending was smidge anti-climatic. Not overly so, and definitely not enough for me to dislike it.
In Crux Moira Rogers has built a strong supernatural world with an exciting plot and realistic characters. With as much as I enjoyed the interactions between Mackenzie and Jackson, I am looking forward to the next books in the series! There were so many intriguing side characters introduced in this group of friends… only more good stories can come after this!
The story is about Mackenzie who is on the run from some crazy shifters looking to use her for her body. While on the run she falls into a web of really cool people who convince her the supernatural is real and give her an unexpected support system. Jackson Holt takes a liking to her immediately and will do whatever he needs to keep her safe.
The story arc is reminiscent of a paranormal romance…. girl is in trouble, our hero must use his super powers and super friends to save her. But, in this story our heroine isn’t weak or waiting around to be saved and our hero doesn’t expect her to sit back in a safe corner and wait it out. I found the characters to be honest. The dialogue between them was easy and free flowing. The relationship was realistic, a nice mix of playful flirting with sincerity. Jackson is funny and sexy, protective without being overbearing.
The plot of Crux builds quickly. The book is action packed and I had a hard time finding stopping points so I could get some much needed sleep! There is an atypical twist in the plot three quarters of the way through. After it I thought for sure we were getting an ending and the “Big Bad” would continue to haunt us in the next book, but instead the story keeps going! Because of this small twist in plot sequence, the story loses a bit of momentum and I felt the true ending was smidge anti-climatic. Not overly so, and definitely not enough for me to dislike it.
In Crux Moira Rogers has built a strong supernatural world with an exciting plot and realistic characters. With as much as I enjoyed the interactions between Mackenzie and Jackson, I am looking forward to the next books in the series! There were so many intriguing side characters introduced in this group of friends… only more good stories can come after this!
Cute and cheesy. Pretty much your typical Harlequin romance novel with a supernatural twist. Total fluff.
A great read. Really liked the concept. Not really about the sex (that didn't happen until the end of the book) more about the story. Overall a good read and sparked interest in future books of the series by giving tastes of other characters lives.
Moira Rogers' Crux was one of those books I picked up on a whim: offered for free, first in a series, urban fantasy/romance, which is a genre I liked. I didn't have a lot invested in it, and while it was a decent read, it didn't reach my all-time favorites list.
Mackenzie Brooks is on the run from a crazy ex-boyfriend who told her she was destined to bear his child, which would save a race. She ends up in New Orleans working at a bar, where the owner is friends with Jackson Holt, a PI with paranormal leanings: He's a spellcaster. Mackenzie has to come to the realization that magic is real (and the paranormal is all around her) when Jackson looks into her past and finds out her ex-boyfriend knew more about her past than she did.
I said Crux was a decent read, and by that, I mean the romance was fairly believable, and the action kept moving. There are some cute nods to previous paranormal and urban fantasy lore, and the cast of characters is varied.
The reason it makes my "meh" list is that it felt a lot like reading a fanfic. Mackenzie is a total Mary Sue: unaware of her extra-special past, capable of amazing things, everyone thinks she's incredible but she's totally clueless, etc. The trope of binding someone with amazing and unique special powers is getting overused (at least three books I've read in the past year in the PNR/UF genres) and Mackenzie's stumbling entry to the world of magic is complete Mary Sue. A strong heroine she's not, and that's disappointing. I prefer a book where the princess saves herself and slays the dragon rather than needing a man (or men) to show her the way to her "inner strength."
Mackenzie Brooks is on the run from a crazy ex-boyfriend who told her she was destined to bear his child, which would save a race. She ends up in New Orleans working at a bar, where the owner is friends with Jackson Holt, a PI with paranormal leanings: He's a spellcaster. Mackenzie has to come to the realization that magic is real (and the paranormal is all around her) when Jackson looks into her past and finds out her ex-boyfriend knew more about her past than she did.
I said Crux was a decent read, and by that, I mean the romance was fairly believable, and the action kept moving. There are some cute nods to previous paranormal and urban fantasy lore, and the cast of characters is varied.
The reason it makes my "meh" list is that it felt a lot like reading a fanfic. Mackenzie is a total Mary Sue: unaware of her extra-special past, capable of amazing things, everyone thinks she's incredible but she's totally clueless, etc. The trope of binding someone with amazing and unique special powers is getting overused (at least three books I've read in the past year in the PNR/UF genres) and Mackenzie's stumbling entry to the world of magic is complete Mary Sue. A strong heroine she's not, and that's disappointing. I prefer a book where the princess saves herself and slays the dragon rather than needing a man (or men) to show her the way to her "inner strength."
I gave up around the middle of the book, it was bad written and boring in my opinion, and it's strange because the Moria Rogers duo are usually one of the best authors around in my experience.