Laurence MacNaughtonCritiques

Dru is a young woman who runs a New Age shop. She can use crystals to see enchantments, and she can brew the occasional potion. Dru does well enough to not get evicted.

Things get very interesting when a very handsome man, with unnaturally red eyes, and driving a possessed, black muscle car, enters her shop. The man, named Grayson, has been having bad dreams where he has turned into a demon. Along with three other demons, they are about to destroy the whole world. Grayson also has little nubs growing on his forehead; the beginning of actual horns.

Dru realizes that Grayson is not just turning into your average demon. He is turning into one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The other three Horsemen, looking like creatures right out of an H.P. Lovecraft story, are looking for their "colleague." Dru's crystals can slow, but not stop, Grayson's transformation. The only choice is for Grayson to fully become one of the Horsemen, and hope that Dru can find some way to not kill him.

A group of seven fallen sorcerers called the Harbingers want to rule a new magical realm where humanity is out of the way, permanently. An ancient scroll called the Apocalypse Scroll has been unearthed. It has seven seals on it; four seals have been broken, for the Four Horsemen. If all seven seals are broken, very bad things will happen to humanity. Along with her friend Rane, who has a very unique ability, can Dru save the world? Can she rescue Grayson, which whom she has fallen in love?

This is a really good story. It has first-rate writing, good characters and plenty of action. The reader will learn a lot about crystals, and will not go wrong with this novel.

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway and I'm so glad I did. This is a good fun read. I really liked the characters and the story. Doesn't take itself too seriously. Looking forward to reading the first book in the series. Hope there are many more.

Yes. A book that actually lives up to the promise of being funny. It was not long into the story before I found myself laughing. Mainly, due to the three women...Dru and her friends, Opal and Rane. Team Rane. Yeah, this series may be centered around Dru but Rane had me from the first moment she appeared. She is brass but her intentions are always kind hearted. She reminded my of the late wrestler, Chyna. Although, as I mentioned previously, Dru and Opal were great as well. Opal is more of the level headed one in the group. Which she finds herself in more sticky situations with Dru then she might like.

As I have not read the first book in this series, I didn't really experience Rane and Salem's past relationship history. Yet, I had a pretty good idea of what happened. Every time that they saw each other, it was not friendly. However, you could feel that they still had feelings for each other. The non friendly banter was like flirting for them or at least Rane. Salem may not have wanted to admit it as much as Rane. Rane and Salem are not the only ones that share a connection. I can't forget about Dru and her boyfriend Greyson. While, they did not spend a lot of time together in this book, I could tell that they shared strong feelings for one another. It was amazing that Dru and her friends did not get themselves killed fighting the undead. Some times it seemed pure luck that they were victorious. I give the women credit as they didn't seem to back down when things got bad. I am going back and reading the first book. This book provided me with many laughs filled with awesome characters!

It Happened One Doomsday is a fast paced urban fantasy. It’s a quick read, filled with action and plenty of banter between characters. However, the action comes to a near screeching halt at the end.

Now, its really no slower than the first chapter, and there’s definitely forward movement – events are still ongoing – and, honestly, the characters need and deserve a bit of a break after everything they've gone through. On the other hand, it’s a bit jarring. After 250-something pages of nonstop pedal-to-the-floor momentum even a slight lull in action feels like we’re slamming on the breaks.

The characters, while fun and largely relatable, do lack a certain amount of development that I normally expect, especially if this is the first book in a series. Still, the book made a fun afternoon read.

I received a free copy of It Happened One Doomsday through Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for an honest review.

Dru runs a magical shop and though she sells many books, items and spells, unlike her mother, her magical power is limited. The one thing Dru wants to do is help people. When Greyson comes into her shop complaining about having dreams about the end of the world, Dru vows to help. What she doesn't realise at the time, is that she is signing up to save humanity because as luck would have it, Greyson is about to become one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.

It Happened One Doomsday is a cross between urban fantasy and paranormal romance. From the ending, it's clear that MacNaughton has more story that he wants to tell and so the rushed pace of this book combined with the insta love make absolutely no sense to me. MacNaughton could have taken his time and actually built his characters, thus making them feel real; however, after reading 280 pages I don't feel like I know anything real about them.

The one thing Dru knows for sure is that she doesn't want a relationship with a sorcerer because of the instability that would result. She has settled into a relationship with Nate - a dentist. Dru worries that Nate's secretary is going to make the moves on him and the fact that despite the many things Nate has seen, he still doesn't believe in magic. Nate is as straight and white as a loaf of wonder bread. When Greyson walks into her shop, she's immediately attracted to him. He doesn't believe in magic either but there's nothing like growing horns on your head and having your eyes turn red to convince you that magic just might be real.

Dru's angst between Greyson and Nick really comes down to her questioning what kind of life she wants to live. Nick leads to a house in the suburbs with 2.5 kids, a picket fence, a dog and no magic. It means security and safety. Greyson represents the road less traveled. There's no security because danger abounds and Dru will be forced to push her magical powers to their limits. The problem with all of this is that when the world is ending, it seems as though relationship angst could most certainly wait. Travelling to try to stop the fifth seal of the apocalypse from opening, is no time to be wondering which man you should choose.

One of the things I did like about It Happened One Doomsday is the relationship between Dru and Rane. Rane is a sorceress and she spends her time wiping out evil in the world. Rane is Dru's ride or die girlfriend. When things get hairy, it's Rane who throws the punches and Rane who keeps realistic about the fact that no matter how cute Greyson is, or the promises Dru made to him that he still has a demon inside of him. Unfortunately, MacNaughton also occasionally tries to use Rane for comic relief as well and it comes off awkward and anything but funny. It is however nice to see two female characters sticking together, even if they did spend a lot of time talking about men and Dru's relationship, as the faced down the possible end of the world.

Read More½

The end of the world is almost here, and the only people who can stop it are a brash demon hunter, a possessed auto mechanic, and a new age shop owner with a little crystal magic. We're doomed for sure. ;)

What drew me to this book: When I received the request for this book, I thought the description sounded really intriguing. It seemed as if the book might have a little of everything—humor, romance, battles, magic—and be a light, fun read.

Why I kept reading: Doomsday delivers on the promise of its description! It's kind of crazy, kind of sweet, kind of scary, and a lot of fun.

Being told in the third person, I immediately assumed this book wouldn't get too in-depth with character personalities. I was concerned the story would feel "shallow" and that I wouldn't enjoy it. Part of what I like about urban fantasy is the first-person, "in-the-mind-of-the-character" perspective.

However, I was completely wrong about that. No, the characters aren't developed in the same way as in first-person narratives; but, they are much more developed than I expected they'd be. Their personalities are developed through the reader's observation over time, so that by the end of the book, each of them felt real to me. I may not know each character from the inside out, but I know enough about them for the story to make sense and to speculate about some of the things we don't learn in the book.

The story mostly focuses on the action, and there is a LOT of action, mostly revolving around some (I imagine) beautiful classic muscle cars. I'm not really a car person, but even I can appreciate '60s muscle cars, especially ones that drive themselves. Too bad they're possessed by evil demons, or I'd be shelling out the money for one of those!

Why I recommend it: It Happened One Doomsday is a fun read, a great popcorn book. It's a lot like a summer movie—lots of action and fun without too much brain strain, a great palate cleanser in between more serious reads. I enjoyed it a lot and really hope we get the sequel soon!

This book was provided free in exchange for an honest review. This is no way impacts my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I generally try to write fairly substantial reviews, but in the case of It Happened One Doomsday, I just don't have much to say. It is a run-of-the-mill PUF (paranormal and urban fantasy): a fun, quick read that makes no demands on its readers.

From its ending, it is clear that it is intended to be the first book of a series, so I am bewildered by the characters' lack of depth and the ridiculous speed with which Dru and Greyson fall in love. The pace is fast and furious from the beginning, and the story runs full tilt until it suddenly falls off a cliff, leading to a tremendous feeling of letdown.

Had I known that It Happened One Doomsday is the beginning of a series, I would not have requested an ARC because I already have way too many PUF series to keep up with. While reading It Happened One Doomsday was a pleasant way to spend an afternoon, I am not sufficiently interested in Dru to follow her on her next adventure.

I received a free copy of It Happened One Doomsday through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Ash wakes up in a strange place with no memory of how he got there. His dog, Moolah, is with him, along with a dusty car that he appears to have the keys for...

This first instalment of The Spider Thief is well written and flows well. Ash is quite an interesting and endearing character, who meets quite a cast of other characters in his journey towards the truth.

The story held my interest throughout, and I'll certainly be reading the next book in the series to find out more about the mysterious golden spider that Ash remembers finding several years before.

Sincere thanks author to Laurence MacNaughton for providing me with a review copy.