nightlife

Nightlife
$0.99

Moonshine (Cal Leandros, Book 2)
$7.99
I was really blown away by Thurman's debut, Nightlife (Cal Leandros, Book 1). I devoured it in less than a day. I read a LOT of urban fantasy with kick-butt heroines, so it was nice to get back to where it started with a kick-butt hero. Unfortunately, as is often the case with new authors released in mass market, it was a year before book 2 came out and I didn't get back to the series until now.

Cal and Niko are working as private investigators of a sort. Vampire Promise is a partner, and Robin Goodfellow sticks his nose in whenever he can. When they take a job to get inside information on a werewolf's rival, things turn messy. Don't they always? It's a set-up, and someone near and dear to Cal is kidnapped and held for ransom. In addition to his hang-ups on being half-Auphe, Cal's now haunted by what he did while possessed by Darkling. He can't stand mirrors, and keeps everyone but Niko at arm's length. The story takes on a quest aspect as they search for the fabled Calabassa to pay the ransom, with Promise, Robin and a temporary "partner" werewolf Flay along for the ride. Cal really shows some fighting prowess against the werewolves and a second run-in with Abbagor leads Cal to the discovery of a new power that is far cooler than "super-smell."

Moonshine is a solid follow-up, but fell a little short of the quality in Nightlife. Part of this stems from the amount of description in the novel. In the first novel, that wasn't an issue because a foundation needs to be laid, readers are just getting to know the hero. Here, the author got a little bogged down in expanding on the world-building, sometimes to the detriment of the plot. Every time a new supernatural creature/character appeared on the scene (which is pretty frequent), we had many paragraphs of how they look exactly, what myth or legend gets it wrong about them, what they're wearing, how they smell, how do we kill them, etc. Add to the this the recap on Cal and Niko from book 1 (Cal's half Auphe, Niko watches his back, eats healthy, does martial arts, etc, etc), and the action lagged in the first half. Jim Butcher pushed the recap thing through his first four or five books, and I hope Thurman doesn't. Have faith that your readers are staying with you and know Cal's parentage and relationships. However, the story did pick up significantly in the second half, and kept me riveted to the end.

A few great new threads are introduced in this book that will certainly shake things up. An old enemy resurfaces to threaten Cal through the ones he loves, a possible arc for a couple books. Promise and Niko's relationship is a nice turn that gives the men another ally, as well as redirecting Niko's attention to someone else. Cal still needs to grow up, and I think Niko is unintentionally holding him back on doing so. And Cal's new power provides endless possibilities. I found it a little annoying at times that the fully-human Niko is such a fighting machine, far superior to Cal, though Cal is supposed to be the bad-a@@ half-monster. Thurman seems to be redressing this and bringing Cal into his own, without weakening Niko. I like both characters a lot, and their dark, dangerous world is gripping. Robin injects some much needed humor, and Promise has already spiced things up with some sexual tension. Overall, I enjoyed Moonshine and have already started Madhouse (Cal Leandros, Book 3). Luckily, this time around I won't have to wait as long for the next book, Deathwish (Cal Leandros, Book 4).

Nightlife (Cal Leandros, Book 1)
$7.99
At face value this is a typical urban fantasy where all sorts of things lurk undetected in the dark comers of our world. But this is something else too....
In Thurman's Nightlife, the Elves (also known as the Auphe) are very much the bad 'guys' and they are hunting Cal and his brother Nico. They want Cal because he is part human and part something else, and the Auphe have a desperate need for that something else. The first half of the book is about the brothers, giving us a little background and showing us the off the grid life they have to lead to keep one step ahead of the evil that pursues them. So far reasonably standard fare, but then there is a significant change to one of the lead characters which takes the book in a different direction and makes you sit up a bit and try to figure out where the author is taking you next.

An entertaining book, the bond between the brothers is well fleshed out as is Cal's adolescent character and Nico's slightly too perfect one. Once the book changes direction some of the plot and the Auphe's cunning plan becomes a little complex and there were passages I had to read a good couple of times, but this does not detract from what remains an entertaining dark fantasy.

Nightclub Dance Series: Hip Hop Moves For The Club, For Men
$19.99
I bought this for my husband who wanted to learn hiphop. He says it is a good, easy to follow video. I plan to try it too.