The city that we now call Naples began life in the seventh century BC, when Euboean colonists from the town of Cumae founded a small settlement on the rocky headland of Pizzofalcone. This settlement was christened 'Parthenope' after the mythical siren whose corpse had supposedly been discovered there, but it soon became known as Palaepolis ('Old City'), after a Neapolis ('New City') was founded close by.
The post Six people who helped make ancient Naples great appeared first on OUPblog.
May Contain Spoilers
Review:
I enjoyed Cursed and have been waiting impatiently for the next book in the Fallen Siren series. When I saw Captured, a prequel, up on Amazon, I didn’t hesitate to click the “Buy” button. And why would I? This suspenseful read is FREE. If you enjoyed Cursed, too, or just want to get to know the characters before diving into the series, you have nothing to lose to snatching is up! Plus it will tide you over until the October release of Reckoning.
Captured chronicles the first case Emma and Zack team up on. On loan from the San Diego office when Zack’s partner is unable to help with a case, Emma is in Charleston to help Zack with two mission objectives. First, locate Cooper Anderson, a four year boy who has been kidnapped, and two, capture the kidnapper before he or she strikes again. The federal agents are racing against time; two other little boys have already been murdered, and all signs point to the same perpetrator in their latest case.
Zack is a werewolf, and Emma is a Siren. She’s been cursed for failing to keep Hades from kidnapping Persephone. Tasked with redeeming herself in the eyes of Demeter, she works tirelessly to save innocent lives from harm. She has a couple of rules that she won’t allow herself to break, the most important being: never fall in love. All of her lovers have met with unpleasant fates at the hands of the vengeful goddess, so Emma tries to save herself a lot of grief by not getting involved with anyone. This proves a challenging task because the sparks fly between Zack and Emma as soon as they meet.
While the mystery isn’t too challenging, the blossoming romance between Emma and Zack kept me turning the pages. They really click as a team, their work styles complimenting and strengthening each other in their race against time to find the missing boy. Emma’s quest is doubly urgent, because she never knows if this is the the case that will bring her redemption for her failure centuries ago. Every life held in the balance may bring about her freedom from Demeter’s vengeful rage. Zack is a complication she doesn’t need, but can’t resist, regardless of how many times she’s been burned in the past.
Likeable characters make this a worthwhile read. Captured reminded me how much I’m looking forward to the next book in the series!
Grade: B
Review copy purchased from Amazon FREE
From Amazon:
Join FBI Agents Emma Monroe and Zack Armstrong.
She’s a Siren. He’s a Werewolf.
Their mission is redemption.
Emma Monroe is a Fallen Siren, cursed by the gods and banished to Earth for her failure to prevent the kidnapping of Persephone. She’s had many names and many lives, but only one mission: redemption. Now she works for the FBI and is on temporary assignment in Charleston. Solving this next missing persons case could be the key to ending her ancient curse—unless the temptation that’s her new partner gets in the way.
Zack Armstrong is a Werewolf. Tall, dark, and dangerous, he currently works for one of the bureau’s elite Child Abduction Rapid Deployment teams. In many respects the man is every bit as mysterious as his secret and perilous past. But there are two things he’s certain about, that he’s going to get his man and his woman.
When Zack finds himself suddenly shy a partner and a third child goes missing in Charleston, Emma goes from consultant to CARD team member in the space of a few hours. The abductions of the first two boys ended in murder, an outcome that neither Zack nor Emma can abide. As they race against time to track down the kidnapper and rescue the latest victim, they find themselves fighting something just as treacherous—a growing attraction that can’t be ignored or denied.
The post Novella Review: Captured by S J Harper appeared first on Manga Maniac Cafe.
Spoiler Alert. If you have not read Siren there may be spoilers ahead.
Publisher: EgmontUSA (July 12, 2011)
ARC: 352 Pages
Series: Siren #2 (My Review of
Siren)
Genre: YA Fantasy (sirens)
Tricia Rayburn's Website |
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From Goodreads. After losing her sister and finding out who- or what- she really is, Vanessa returns home for her senior year. Everyone at Hawthorne Prep has questions about her tragic summer, but knowing who to open up to is impossible. As she walks the halls without Justine for the very first time, Vanessa has more to worry about than just making a new life for herself.
Because the sirens are out for revenge. To protect herself and the ones she loves, Vanessa must call on powers she believes she has but does not know how to use. To learn, she'll have to seek help from the only person who truly knows her. But first, she must admit the truth about her real identity.
Review by Kate
UNDERCURRENT, by Tricia Rayburn, is the highly anticipated sequel in the
Siren series. At this point, Vanessa is dealing with her new siren-status while hiding it from everyone she loves. Her physical need for salt water overwhelms her until she finds a dangerous solution that shakes up her relationship with Simon.
I really liked this book. It was a bit more low key and angsty then the first book but equally intriguing. I felt so bad for Vanessa having to keep her secret from everyone and still try to appear normal. The seed of doubt was planted in her mind that Simon only liked her because she was a siren. That and the long-distance relationship with Simon in college and Vanessa still in high school added to the problem.
The progression of this book was rather slow in the beginning as compared to the fast action in
Siren, but when it picked up I could not put the book down. The previous year, Vanessa was involved with freezing the lake and (supposedly) all the bad sirens in it. But with strange glimpses of Zara around Vanessa's home made her think that they didn't kill them for good. Vanessa's detective work to find out what really happened to the sirens under the lake turned into a scary revelation that was a perfect culmination to the book.
Along with all of her problems, Vanessa is approached by ladies-man Parker. His infatuation with her awakens the siren inside and realizes that her thirst and physical ailments are at bay when he is around. One part of this love triangle that I really appreciated was the honesty that Rayburn created at the end. I'm not going to ruin it but, what happened between Vanessa and Simon was justified, even if it made me very sad.
Overall, this was a great addition to the series. A lot of revelations occurred and I felt Rayburn created a perfect platform for the third book.
*FTC Disclosure: I received this ARC from the publisher. I do not receive payment of any kind in exchange for a review. I do not receive monetary compensation from any book links in my review. 
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ARC Review: Undercurrent by Tricia Rayburn as of 1/1/1900
