Ever since I got my iPhone few month ago and downloaded the Kindle app on it, I've been reading non-stop. My husband gets on my case saying that I need to use our actual Kindle, but he just doesn't get it! I never ever EVER go anywhere without my phone, so I can read anytime I have a spare minute. Plus my purse/bag is already heavy with stuff when I got out, and I really don't want to lug kindle around.
Anyways, I've been reading so much that I've decided to see if I can read 100 books this year, so I signed up for Goodreads Reading Challenge, Basically you get to pick the amount of books you want to read in a year, and Goodreads will monitor it for you, provided you don't forget to record what you've read. You can see my progress on the sidebar, right under all the blogs I follow. Mind you, I didn't really start the reading challenge at the beginning of this year... I started it around March-April.... Yup, I know it's impressive :) (And I can't even include the Russian books I've read! BUMMER!) But really, not so much. I read mostly "fluff" books, or romance and fantasy. Books that are very easy to read and books that I can go through literally in few hours. I read these because I need something to take my mind off constant schoolwork and general unhappiness of being in a foreign country with a terrible (for us, Americans) exchange rate, which prevents me going places and doing stuff. So I turn to books. Light, "fluffy", easy to read books that help me pass the time and forget just how unhappy I can be.
Another reason why I love Kindle so much is because I can get free books on it! I check Amazon regularly to see if there are any new books on specials, and sometimes there are some real gems in the free section. The Rhine Maiden by Erin Evans is one of those books.
Product Description
Piper Cavanaugh is The Rhine Maiden, a descendent of the sirens who lured sailors to their deaths with beautiful singing. After vowing never to use her supernatural power of command, she is more than happy to stay at home with her two little girls, but one little slip-up and her secret has come back to bite her – literally. Now she must win permission to join the United Supernatural Beings, or it’s open season on all of humanity.While juggling toddlers, keeping her husband in the dark, and babysitting her rebellious kid sister, Piper finds herself befriending a vampire, stealing from murderous witches, and doing battle with Satan, otherwise known as her mother-in-law. And she thought grocery shopping with her kids was hard!
My Thoughts:
The main reason I got this book was because it was free (yup, I'm one of those people) but also because the title sounded interesting. Although I have to confess, because of the title I also didn't start reading it right away. I'm taking some WWII related classes right now, as well as being from Ukraine, and all I could think of was Rhine = Germany = Nazis. Don't ask, I didn't think that this book was anything related to Nazis at all, but nevertheless for some reason I was associating the name with them and didn't want to touch it. Yup, I'm also strange.
The story follows Piper, the stay at home mother of two
This is where the fun starts! Now Piper has to petition USB to join them, while trying to not get killed, while still taking care of her children, while keeping it all a secret from her husband Mark. Enter Cecily, her new next door vampire neighbor who ended up becoming Piper's permanent side-kick. Then enter a werewolf and a fae who need Piper's help, along with a bunch of evil witches who really don't want Piper to stick her nose in their affairs. And of course we can't forget about little sister Sarah, who is a general pain-in-a-butt type of character (Sorry Sarah, but I'm with Piper on that regardless of how misunderstood you think you are).
The book grabbed my attention from the first page, and I was chuckling all the way through at Piper's parenting methods. I don't have kids, but I can relate. And her mother-in-law was making me so mad, I wanted to throw something at her. Or better yet, kick her really hard where it hurts! I loved all the supporting characters too, especially Otis the cat. Ok ok, I meant Cecily, the uber cool vampire chic who can kick ass and eat anything she wants while not gaining an ounce of weight. There were other miscellaneous characters that helped to bring the book alive, and I'm hoping to see them again in the next books.
Piper is very real, maybe a little ditzy (but who wouldn't be after dealing with her kids) but still able to think on her feet. She cares about her family, and loves her children more than anything, but at the same time she takes her situation (and the fate of humanity) very seriously. So she works around her parenting schedule and even asks her mother-in-law to babysit two days in a row, so she could go take care of her paranormal business. Piper is a character I could relate too, someone who has problems and not always a clear way of dealing with them.
There is also not an ounce of sex in this book, which was very refreshing considering that's where all the paranormal fantasy books are leaning these days. Maybe I've been reading too many naughty romance novels lately, but it was nice to see a heroine who didn't loose her ability to think the second she saw a hot guy. (Um, Piper = married mother of two here thank you very much)
There were few minor things I didn't particularly cared for, namely the aliens..... aliens huh? But I know there is a higher purpose to that, so I'll just wait and see. Then there is the vampire character that briefly appeared at the beginning, but then disappeared for the rest of the book. I kept waiting for him to jump out and attack Piper, but no, he must have went into vampire hibernation. And finally Sarah and Piper's mother-in-law. They were so real that I was reliving Piper's experiences with them, and it was making me mad! I have to applaud Erin Evans on her writing here.
Overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a different type of paranormal fantasy.
5 out 5
Go check out this book on Amazon and let me know what you think! And if you like it, there is a second book in this series out right now, It Never Rhines but It Pours. Erin Evans is currently in the process of writing the 3rd book and I can't wait!
~ Lyuba
