'Devil's Bargain' by Rachel Caine: Review

Devil's Bargain

Red Letter Day Book #1 

By Rachel Caine

Published On October 15, 2012

Published By MIRA 

What's the price of a deal with the devil?

Playing by the psychic underworld's rules has cost.

Jazz Callender's whole life just got turned upside down. Her friend Ben's been convicted of a crime he didn't commit, and Jazz is determined to clear his name, even if it means enlisting the help of dark forces.

Enter James, a stranger with a mysterious offer. If Jazz pledges to work for The Cross Society, a shadowy secret organization, he'll help her save Ben.

But as she's thrust into a world of psychic powers and dangerous magic, Jazz isn't just bargaining for her friend's freedom. She's bargaining for her soul too.

And how high a price is she willing to pay?

Devil's Bargain is the first book in the Red Letter Day Series by Rachel Caine.  Rachel Caine is an author I've been hearing about for ages; her Morganville Vampires series has been on my to read list for what feels like forever.  I just hadn't found the opportunity to check them out yet. After reading Devil's Bargain, though, I'll be starting the Morganville series asap; I love Caine's writing style. She's a superb storyteller. 

The story is told from the point of view of one of our main characters, Jazz. She's an ex-cop who's putting everything (literally) on the line to try and exonerate her partner, who's in jail for murder.   It is very easy to get behind Jazz as she navigates her increasingly dangerous life.   The action starts right at the beginning and never really lets up.  This was a very quick read for me, I couldn't put it down once I started. 

Jazz and Lucia, her new partner, are different enough to make the perfect team and it was a lot of fun to read about two kick ass females working together. A stellar supporting cast provides us with some scene stealing and really adds to the overall story. The plot was intriguing and suspenseful and packed with action, humor and even some romance. Overall this was a well-written thrill ride from start to finish. I'm really looking forward to the second book. 

My Rating: 

Rachel Caine is the New York Times, USA Today and internationally bestselling author of more than 30 novels, including the immensely popular Morganville Vampires series, the Weather Warden series, and the Outcast Season series.
In 2011, Rachel published the first novel of her new series, The Revivalist, with the release of Working Stiff in August.
She has been honored with a Paranormal Pearl Award and an RT Booklovers Award, and was recently awarded a Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times. Her first young adult novel, Glass Houses, was chosen for the Texas Tayshas List in 2009.

Rachel has appeared as a guest at over 100 science fiction, fantasy, mystery and romance conventions and conferences over the past 20 years, including Dragon*Con, San Diego ComicCon, the World Fantasy Convention, and the World Science Fiction Convention. She has been featured in several national publications including People magazine,Entertainment Weekly, and Vanity Fair, and on international, national and local television and radio.

She was born at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, attended Socorro High School in El Paso, Texas, and earned a bachelors degree in business administration from Texas Tech University. She’s worked in many jobs, including accounting, graphic designer, insurance investigation, corporate communications, and web design, to name just a few. She became a full time writer in 2010.

Rachel is married to award-winning fantasy artist R. Cat Conrad, and has two iguanas as pets: Popeye and Darwin.

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'Pushing the Limits' by Katie McGarry: Review

Published by Mira Ink 

Available on August 3rd, 2012

"I won't tell anyone, Echo. I promise." Noah tucked a curl behind my ear. It had been so long since someone touched me like he did. Why did it have to be Noah Hutchins? His dark brown eyes shifted to my covered arms. "You didn't do that-did you? It was done to you?" No one ever asked that question. They stared. They whispered. They laughed. But they never asked.

So wrong for each other...and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again. (from Goodreads)

Pushing the Limits is the brilliant debut of author, Katie McGarry. I received this book for review from Mira Ink and I have to admit I did a little happy dance when it arrived. The synopsis hooked me from the moment I read it. I was eager to see if it would live up to my expectations.

Set in Kentucky, the story spans the course of several months as it follows the lives of the two main characters; Echo Emerson and Noah Hutchins. Thrown together by their new school guidance counselor, these two couldn't be more different to the casual observer.  However, appearances very rarely tell the real story and thankfully, this is no exception. 


The story is teeming with conflict of varying forms. Both the main characters are struggling to overcome gargantuan personal traumas while dealing with the normal (and some abnormal) high school and family issues. Almost nothing is easy for either of one of these teens. All they really want is to find their way back to 'normal' whatever that entailed for them in the past.  It makes for a turbulent read from start to finish.


We see the story unfold from both main characters' perspectives and it adds even more intensity to the tale. It also helps to fill in gaps, unravel mysteries and move the plot forward towards its shattering climax. There was literally not a single dull moment in the entire book. My husband definitely noticed, merely from watching me read; mostly due to my outbursts of laughter and tears (which sometimes happened simultaneously). Eventually he stopped trying to get my attention. 

The characters are what make this story shine, in my opinion. They are beautifully crafted; flawed and authentic in their depth. Even though Echo and Noah are our main focus, the secondary players are just as well portrayed. Whether you loved or hated them, you really felt connected to them. It made reading this book a pleasure for me. 


This book was an emotional powder keg and you could never be sure which end of the spectrum would be ignited. Fast paced with twists that keep you guessing, it was simply breathtaking to behold. Powerful and poignant; this tale will break your heart all while proving that being yourself is as good as it gets. 

My Rating: 

You can find Pushing the Limits:

Amazon.com

Barnes & Noble

Books A Million

About the Author: 

KATIE MCGARRY was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, and reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.

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'Before I Wake' by Rachel Vincent: Review

Soul Screamers Book #6 

Before I Wake 

By Rachel Vincent

I died on a Thursday-killed by a monster intent on stealing my soul. The good news? He didn't get it. The bad news? Turns out not even death will get you out of high school... Covering up her own murder was one thing, but faking life is much harder than Kaylee Cavanaugh expected. After weeks spent "recovering," she's back in school, fighting to stay visible to the human world, struggling to fit in with her friends and planning time alone with her new reaper boyfriend. But to earn her keep in the human world, Kaylee must reclaim stolen souls, and when her first assignment brings her face-to-face with an old foe, she knows the game has changed. Her immortal status won't keep her safe. And this time Kaylee isn't just gambling with her own life...(from Goodreads)

Before I Wake is the 6th book in the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent.  Let me warn you all that if you haven't read If I Die yet, you should not be reading this, there will be spoilers, I'm sorry, it's unavoidable.  Let's get down to it now. I came home from a LONG day at work last Friday and found this book in my mailbox from the lovely folks at Mira Ink. There was some jumping up and down, I can admit that without shame.  I love this series & Rachel Vincent. I'd been counting down the days til the book released here in the US and  as a lovely late birthday present and I got it for free & by surprise. It was serendipitous. 

The story picks up a month after If I Die ends and we find Kaylee struggling to accept some pretty massive changes in her life. Not just Kaylee, either. It seems everyone who loves Kaylee (or loves someone who loves her) is battling some literal or figurative demon. No one is having an easy time of it.  Kaylee continues to be one of the most interesting characters in the young adult genre today.  She is just one of the many reasons why I can't get enough of  this series. 

So much happened in this book I'm glad we don't reveal spoilers on this blog because I honestly wouldn't know where to begin.  I was on the edge of my seat through the entire thing. I caught myself biting my nails at least three times. Twice, I scared my husband by gasping out loud.  I went from crying to laughing and back to crying all within a few chapters. This might be the most emotionally charged installment of this series yet.  I didn't want it to ever end.

I mentioned how much I love this series already; each book is better than the last. It was impossible to put this book down. I keep waiting for the story to get stale (like it has with other series I've read) and it never happens. Kaylee grows more with every installment and you can't help but but admire her strength of character as you follow her story.   The depth and vitality of each and every character is amazing to me and I'm simply in awe of Vincent's brilliance in her craft. She weaves spellbinding stories with intriguing, suspenseful plots that are riddled with wit, humor and romance.  She has writing the 'perfect' novel down to a science. 

Kaylee's strength, loyalty, bravery and just flat out goodness make her an amazing character. I have been saying it since the first book, and I'll say it again, we need more heroines like her. When she gets into trouble, she doesn't look to the men in her life to save her. She does her damnedest to save herself and anyone else who may be in danger. She is awesome. 

While Kaylee is definitely my favorite character, there are others who have grown quite interesting through the progression of the series. First off, there's Tod. I loved getting to see more of his true character. His strength and devotion are sweet, yes, but he is more than that. He is the one person who can make Kaylee truly feel like herself during this transition in her life.  Next, and I really can't believe I'm saying this, but Sabine has really grown on me.  The depth of her love for Nash  shows how truly vulnerable she is. Not that she'd ever admit to being vulnerable, of course. It's there, though.  She's always good for comic relief as well.  

If you read Never To Sleep, you've already met Luca. I am sort of in shock; he makes Sophie more human, in my opinion and brings out the good qualities she does possess. You have to like him for that! He's also funny and dependable and a wonderful addition to an already stellar cast of characters. Sophie hasn't quite grown on me as of yet, but the possibility is definitely there. 

Before I Wake is an expertly crafted blend of action, romance, humor and terror.  Vincent is a master storyteller and I have yet to dislike something she's created.  This is what I consider a perfect book. 

My Rating: