Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Voodoo Love by Victoria Richards--Review!


Oh man, I love summer reading! I can't ever seem to squeeze enough reading in before it's time for me to return to my second love after writing: teaching. This summer I've been blessed with some great books to read, as well as, a few stink-o-ramas. Next Wednesday I'm going to pretend to be Oprah and post my top summer reads.



Today I'm focusing on a great read that I think you'll enjoy--Voodoo Love by Victoria Richards. It's perfect for that last minute trip to the beach or just lounging on a hammock with a dirty martini. But be sure you have a someone your romantically involved with nearby--you're gonna need them after reading this book!





Yes, it is a paranormal romance, but it isn't all sex and damsel in distress type stuff. In fact, the protagonist is a pretty sassy chick named Elizabeth who has a wry sense of humor and a talent for getting into trouble.



Here is the synopsis from the book:



Elizabeth Brown is a gun totin' hottie--though she claims on the gun totin' part is right! Elizabeth knows what adventure is about or at least she would if her memory would ever come back to her. She's been told that two years ago she was chased by a greedy thug, Diego Martes, who believed she knew the location to a pirate treasure cursed by voodoo and hidden deep in the sultry bayous of Louisiana. During the process of escaping, Elizabeth's lover and assassin for hire, Juan Carlos Montoya, drowned trying to save her. Though she now lives in a government arranged marriage to a cop in the small town of Barataria Bay, Elizabeth is still trying to remember the past, remember the danger, and most of all remember Juan Carlos, the dead Latino dreamboat who dragged her into the mess in the first place.

When Elizabeth's idyllic new life is interrupted by a ghostly visit from a still sexy Juan, she finds herself once again plunged into unwanted intrigue. With his help, her memory of the past begins to come back, along with her memories of their nights of passion. Together they must outwit an insane villain, Diego and go back to where Jean Lafitte's cursed pirate treasure is hidden in order to lift a deadly voodoo curse that threatens to end their love forever.



Victoria Richards does a good job of blending humor, romance, and the paranormal together, drawing the reader in and holding their attention. Fast paced, the book is an easy read. By the way, it's actually episodic on Amazon, meaning you can buy each section individually for .99 or you can buy the whole thing. I think selling episodes is an interesting idea. It gives the reader a chance to see if they like it without committing to the whole thing. I know that Amazon already offers the sneak peek option, but this lets you go just a little bit further.



So let's talk characters: Elizabeth is a hoot and not a push over, despite her situation. She handles things with humor and sarcasm, but comes across as tough and confident, too. I would like to have known a tad more about her back story, but hey--it's meant to be episodic. I think she and Eddie have an interesting marriage and Eddie was full of surprises that kept me wondering what he was really up to.



I liked the relationship between Elizabeth and Juan. It's sexy, but got some funny moments that surprised me and that you don't usually find in this type of book. Think of Stephanie Plum and Joe Morrelli or that '80s movie, Romancing the Stone, and you'll understand what I mean. Diego was a strong bad guy, if not a bit of a stereotype, and I loved how the ghost of a long dead pirate affected him. I think having victims of your past crimes haunt you would be a pretty gruesome thing to deal with!



Each episode ends with a cliffhanger and I have to admit that there were a few endings that really surprised me! These days that's tough to do.



Of course, I'm always a sucker for a tale that takes place in the bayou or in New Orleans and in this book, I got the best of both worlds. I hope Victoria Richards is busy writing something new!



You can check out Voodoo Love for yourself or learn more about the author at the following links:






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